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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.
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.
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.
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.
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)
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.
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!
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.
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.
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.
The Blood of Dawnwalker is one of the best role-playing games of 2026, and given that its developers are former CD Projekt Red staffers, that shouldn't come as too much of a shock. Its take on vampirism is engrossing, as are its side characters and minor villains, but much of the discourse surrounding the game has been focused on its time mechanic: Protagonist Coen has 30 days and 30 nights to save his family from forced participation in a vampiric ritual, and nearly every activity you do--including leveling up--has a time cost associated with it. Naysayers have called this system restrictive, and mods were released almost immediately to extend the time limit, but after finishing The Blood of Dawnwalker, I could not disagree more. The game's time limit is not restrictive--it's freeing. To get some background information out of the way, I've struggled with chronic fatigue for the better part of seven years. Every day, I am exhausted to the point of brain fog, headaches, and dizziness, and it's very rarely remedied at all by sleeping. Even on weekends with no real obligations, I'm often only able to really do any hobbies for an hour or two before I'm ready to collapse. I've been to a neurosurgeon, urologist, endocrinologist, hematologist, and pulmonologist in an effort to find some acute cause of my endless tiredness, to no avail. I've tried more medications than I can count, crossing my fingers for some sort of return to normalcy. As someone who has played video games since I was three years old, this has been particularly difficult to cope with, as there are so many games that demand dozens if not hundreds of hours to complete them. At this point, there are certain games that I can basically write off from the first preview, because there is zero chance I'll make a dent. Cyberpunk 2077 When I first started experiencing symptoms--to a lesser degree than currently--Cyberpunk 2077 had just launched on last-gen consoles and PC. I got the game on launch day, started it up, and given the reviews, was worried I would see a litany of bugs and have my Xbox crash. Instead, I never reached that point, because after completing the opening prologue, I was bombarded with so many alerts and notifications of new missions I could complete that I was completely overwhelmed. The thought of doing even a few of these missions was exhausting, and it would be many years before I finally completed the game. It was absolute choice paralysis, and playing something more manageable and linear seemed way more appealing. Perhaps the team at Rebel Wolves was aiming to avoid this overwhelming "more stuff to do" trend that has become so pervasive in open-world games. The Blood of Dawnwalker gives you a whole bunch of quests to complete, with markers all over your map and lots of emergent situations you'll stumble across as you travel. However, it does not want you to accomplish everything. By the very nature of its time system, you can't. Instead, you pick the activities you're most interested in, plotting an efficient strategy to take down the vampire lord Brencis and free your family. Instead of thinking about the five or six quests I had in my adventure log at any one time, I just picked the one that made the most sense for how I wanted to approach the final encounter, or what seemed to be most in line with how Coen would react to a situation. The Blood of Dawnwalker It really felt like I was experiencing the "real" story, rather than one that was slowed down partway through by gamers' neverending desire to reach 100% completion. Sure, I still did plenty of side quests, but I chose the ones that felt the most crucial to Coen's journey, like assisting a longtime friend or forging a powerful silver sword to use in the final battle. The structure effectively blurred the line between this side content and the main quest, making what I chose to do--and none of what I didn't--feel equally crucial. Just by merely keeping me interested in playing it past its opening moments, The Blood of Dawnwalker gave me the chance to fully enjoy its systems. The combat is wonderful, and it only gets better as you advance further into the story and unlock extra abilities. Getting to that point didn't require weeks of my time, nor did it feel like the game was showing its hand too early. This simply wouldn't be possible without the time mechanic (or something just like it). And although I was forced to choose between quests, nothing I chose felt like it was straying from the vision Rebel Wolves had for how players should experience the story. For me, this was simply the path Coen took to save his family, and it was likely very different from the path other players took to reach that same goal. But regardless of the path they took, the time limit would encourage them to also prioritize what was most interesting to them, breaking us free from the pathological need to go to every icon on the map that so many games have instilled in us. Despite what recent trends might imply, bigger definitely does not always equal better, and I'm glad that at least one major open-world game understands that in 2026. A world in which you can do anything is the dream, but it takes a lot of skill and experience to make a game like that enjoyable for someone like me. The Blood of Dawnwalker certainly succeeds at that, and I'm on board at launch day for whatever Revel Wolves makes next.
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.
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.
The marketing machine for Grand Theft Auto 6 is at full steam, and while Rockstar Games is showcasing many of the characters players will be encountering in the open-world crime game, one character with a very distinct name has been largely absent from promos. Viewers of the GTA 6 Extended Look might have been snickering every time protagonists Jason and Lucia uttered the word "Boobie," but the official GTA 6 website indicates that the character of Boobie Ike is a Vice City powerhouse. Though he's implied to be a highly influential figure in the game's story, he hasn't made an appearance in any trailers. Boobie is the owner of the Jack of Hearts club, seen in the extended look trailer. His "legitimate empire" also includes real estate investments and a recording studio, and in his words, "the drug money pay for it all." The first segment of the extended look video has Jason and Lucia making a pickup on behalf of Boobie, and simply saying his name was enough to grant them access. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hTKUkil8kTQ The lack of Boobie in any GTA 6 trailers does prompt curiosity about his larger role in the story. It has already been the subject of speculation in social media posts and YouTube videos, with some predicting that he'll turn out to be an antagonist who double-crosses Jason and Lucia. It's also possible that Boobie's presence in the story will be by name only, as he pulls strings from the background. A more fun theory is that Boobie is a pivotal character with a prominent voice actor--perhaps Rockstar is hiding a surprise, and Boobie's voice is recognizable enough that fans would catch on too quickly (as they did with Stephen Root as Brian). Or, you know, maybe he just isn't a very important character and fans are just overthinking this, as they have with several things related to GTA 6. While Boobie Ike isn't seen in the freshly dropped GTA 6 launch trailer, there are still a ton of details to squeeze out of that minute and a half. We've learned a lot more about GTA 6's lengthy development through recent reports, and we'll finally see the fruits of that labor when it releases on November 19 for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S.
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.
The marketing machine for Grand Theft Auto 6 is at full steam, and while Rockstar Games is showcasing many of the characters players will be encountering in the open-world crime game, one character with a very distinct name has been largely absent from promos. Viewers of the GTA 6 extended look might have been snickering every time protagonists Jason and Lucia uttered the word "Boobie," but the official GTA 6 website indicates that the character of Boobie Ike is a Vice City powerhouse. Though he's implied to be a highly influential figure in the game's story, he hasn't made an appearance in any trailers. Boobie is the owner of the Jack of Hearts club, seen in the extended look trailer. His "legitimate empire" also includes real estate investments and a recording studio, and in his words, "the drug money pay for it all." The first segment of the extended look video has Jason and Lucia making a pickup on behalf of Boobie, and simply saying his name was enough to grant them access. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hTKUkil8kTQ The lack of Boobie in any GTA 6 trailers does prompt curiosity about his larger role in the story. It has already been the subject of speculation in social media posts and YouTube videos, with some predicting that he'll turn out to be an antagonist who double-crosses Jason and Lucia. It's also possible that Boobie's presence in the story will be by name only, as he pulls strings from the background. A more fun theory is that Boobie is a pivotal character with a prominent voice actor--perhaps Rockstar is hiding a surprise, and Boobie's voice is recognizable enough that fans would catch on too quickly (as they did with Stephen Root as Brian). Or, you know, maybe he just isn't a very important character and fans are just overthinking this, as they have with several things related to GTA 6. While Boobie Ike isn't seen in the freshly dropped GTA 6 launch trailer, there are still a ton of details to squeeze out of that minute and a half. We've learned a lot more about GTA 6's lengthy development through recent reports, and we'll finally see the fruits of that labor when it releases on November 19 for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S.
Activision chief marketing officer Tyler Bahl has confirmed that a new sub-series is on the way for Call of Duty. Modern Warfare 4 is just over a week away from launching (though campaign early access starts tomorrow) and marks the fifth straight year of either a Black Ops or Modern Warfare entry in the franchise. That looks set to change going forward. Speaking with The Game Business, Bahl elaborated on why Activision won't do back-to-back sequels in the same sub-series. "[The Call of Duty community] wanted something fresh, and even though there were different time settings, and ways to play the game with new features, that tonal shift is something that they were looking for. So, we've already stated that a future title is going to be a new sub-franchise, and we've already laid the groundwork." Last month, Black Ops developer Treyarch teased that it's working on "something that nobody's ever experienced before." Meanwhile, Sledgehammer Games is reportedly in charge of 2027's Call of Duty, which might also introduce a new sub-series for Call of Duty. The last game in the franchise to not be a Black Ops or Modern Warfare entry was 2021's Vanguard--created by Sledgehammer. So there is precedent there for the studio. In addition, Activision is now in charge of the Halo franchise. Xbox management is stating that a new team will be spun up for the new Halo game, but it wouldn't be surprising to see a Call of Duty studio being heavily involved. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 comes out October 23 on PC, PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and Switch 2. Preordering the FPS unlocks campaign early access for tomorrow, October 16, as well as the DMZ mode on October 20. Every Call Of Duty Game, Reviewed: Black Ops Cold War, Warzone, Modern Warfare 2019, Black Ops 4, WWII, And More View Images
One of the biggest games that PlayStation Plus subscribers can play as part of their membership is Rockstar's Grand Theft Auto 5. However, the game will reportedly get yanked from the service soon, just ahead of GTA 6's release. People on Reddit say they have received a notification telling them that GTA 5 will be removed for Extra and Premium subscribers on November 17. That is two days before GTA 6 launches on November 19, so the timing certainly suggests Sony and Rockstar are trying to migrate people to the new game. https://www.reddit.com/r/PlayStationPlus/comments/1x4swlq/gta_v_is_the_first_game_that_is_leaving_the/ The notice also includes a link directing people to the preorder page for GTA 6. "Whether you've yet to experience the tale of Franklin, Michael, and Trevor, or want to revisit it before Jason and Lucia's Vice City story begins, now's the time," Sony's notice said. GTA 5 has rotated in and out of Xbox Game Pass over the years as well, and it is not currently available through the service. GTA 6 launches on November 19, and the game's steamy launch trailer just arrived. The trailer was stuffed with exciting new details, so be sure to read up on GameSpot's 10 things we noticed from the GTA 6 launch trailer.
Rockstar's GTA 6 is releasing this November, and some believe it will blot out the sun when it comes to the impact it will have on the greater gaming market. The game could also help other titles, like Activision's Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4. That's according to Activision chief marketing officer Tyle Bahl, who said in an interview that GTA 6 will drive more people to gaming overall, and this could act as a rising tide that lifts all ships, including Modern Warfare 4. “Well, no offense to Zelda, but [GTA and COD] are the two biggest games of the year. And more people coming in to the dashboards, more people taking the dust off their Xbox or PlayStation and playing again, is going to be more eyeballs for us overall," he told The Game Business. His comment about Zelda is in reference to Nintendo's The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake for Switch 2, which launches on November 5. It's expected to be a huge hit, just like MW4 and GTA 6. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yLFRQaQT0qM Another publisher, Ubisoft, is not afraid of GTA 6, either. CEO Yves Guillemot said when a big game like GTA 6 comes out, it helps everyone in the industry. One of Ubisoft's biggest games, Rainbow Six Siege, is actually planning to debut new content right around the time GTA 6 launches. Bahl also stated that a big differentiator for Call of Duty is "spending time with friends," and he thinks this will hold true for MW4 this year even with GTA 6 coming to market just a few weeks after MW4 releases on October 23. "When we look at our research and say, ‘What is the most exciting things about our games? Is it the gunplay?’ It’s actually spending time with friends. And so, we stand on our own [in that regard]," he said. “If more people are talking about games, if there’s more press around it, that’s going to be good for everybody, not just us.” MW4's campaign unlocks on October 16 for people who preorder, and the full game--comprising campaign, DMZ, and multiplayer--arrives for everyone on October 23. GTA 6 arrives 27 days later on November 19 for PS5 and Xbox Series X|S.
Street Fighter is officially spin-kicking its way into theaters this week, starting with previews on Thursday and leading into the crucial opening weekend. It's the second movie based on a Capcom IP to make its way to the silver screen this year--following Zach Cregger's Resident Evil film in September--but so far, early estimates for the martial arts extravaganza aren't looking too healthy. According to Deadline's box-office-predictions, Street Fighter is expected to take in under $70 million worldwide. Of that figure, it's estimated to open with a US box-office take in the high 30 millions on 3,500 screens, and a take in the mid-30 millions internationally. Typically, movies need to make at least double their production budget back to be considered successful, and with Street Fighter costing $82 million to produce, it doesn't look like it'll recoup its expenses in its first weekend. There's still a chance it could be a small hit if word of mouth drives audiences to theaters, and in terms of competition, Street Fighter has a few weeks to dominate cinemas as it'll be the biggest action film on the block--at least until the November 1 re-release of V for Vendetta, which is celebrating its 20th anniversary. The movie won't open in the potentially lucrative market of China, but internationally, the lion's share of sales is expected to come from Mexico, Brazil, the UK, Australia, and Asian markets. https://youtu.be/U6sbm1OaJb8 How does that opening stack up against other recent video game movie adaptations? Resident Evil got off to a solid start with a $60 million domestic opening last month, and so far, the film has grossed $324 million worldwide, making it a surprise commercial hit and Cregger's biggest film yet. Meanwhile, Mortal Kombat 2 did much worse when it launched in May, making only $38 million on its opening US weekend and finishing with a worldwide box office total of $129.5 million. As for the other Street Fighter movies, they've had mixed results. According to Box Office Mojo, the first Street Fighter movie starring Jean-Claude Van Damme made $99.4 million during its run, which is pretty great for a 1994 flick, but 2009's Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li was a huge flop. It had an opening weekend of $4.7 million in the US, and it made $12.7 million worldwide. Street Fighter movies lifetime box office totals Street Fighter (1994) -- $99.4 million Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li (2009) -- $12.7 million Street Fighter (2026) -- TBA Street Fighter Movie: Release Date, Cast, And Everything We Know So Far View Images
Rockstar is sticking to its trend of releasing some new GTA 6 news every Thursday it seems, and today's treat was the reveal of the launch trailer. After what feels like an eternity of waiting for anything, the launch trailer is the fourth official video look we've gotten at GTA 6, and the first since August's Extended Look premiered on Netflix. The GTA 6 launch trailer is 90 seconds long exactly, and it gives us a closer look at some of the in-game action (and its new soundtrack composers). While some of what see is pretty typical of games in the Grand Theft Auto series, there are a few surprising additions, and some things that hint toward just how deeply realistic the game is. Lucia starts the game in prison While an earlier trailer suggested as much, it now seems more certain that Lucia's journey in GTA 6 starts with her in prison. While working at the marina, Jason receives a call from her. While we don't know anything about the conversation that takes place after, the fact that she's still incarcerated while he's out and working tells us that he'll probably be keeping pretty close tabs on when she's getting released, especially since the two have clearly remained in contact. There's plenty of physical intimacy We already knew that Jason and Lucia would be able to get up close and personal. In the launch trailer, though, we see them spending time in bed and even in the shower together. The emphasis on intimacy alongside violent sequences adds depth to their relationship, which we already know is going to be central to the game's events. It remains to be seen the degree to which these are decisions the player takes, as opposed to being scripted into the narrative, since it's been emphasized that Jason and Lucia aren't necessarily a couple. Lucia's movement could be restricted Having said that, Lucia has an ankle monitor during one shower scene, suggesting that her release from prison could be subject to certain conditions. For a period of time, she may need to reside at a specific premises, or have certain times that she needs to be at home. That same ankle monitor can be seen in some of the game's key art. Coordinated arms operations We may be able to experience Jason's past military life, either in a flashback mission or a stealth mission in the present day once he and Lucia have started making money. He's seen wading through swamp-like waters with some companions, with some pretty high tech gear including night-vision goggles. Definitely not any console favoritism For the second time in a GTA 6 trailer, a PS5 controller can be seen. The DualSense controller doesn't appear to match the limited edition GTA 6 ones that Sony recently launched preorders for, though. The dog has goggles We already knew you can pet the dog in GTA 6, but we definitely didn't know that one will have their own teeny tiny, adorable pair of goggles to protect them when accompanying Jason on missions. I don't actually know if they're Jason's dog; I just really want them to be, and I'm already brainstorming name ideas. Spring break? The moment above, showing two characters in striking pink balaclavas and wielding guns (while a bunch of guns adorn the background), is striking on its own, but it might actually be a reference to the movie Spring Breakers, in which we see women touting guns with similar headwear. Dense beaches Leaks had already suggested as much, but it certainly looks as if there won't be any shortage of crowds on the beaches of Vice City. No word on whether flying a plane this low will earn you some Wanted stars. Crypto jokes inbound It was probably already a safe bet, but that same plane featuring what sounds like a crypto coin suggests that the world of cryptocurrency may be a target of GTA 6's satire. More movie references At the beginning of the trailer, a sign is shown for The Keys. However, in the background on a road sign, you can also see directions to Goose Key, which is a Top Gun reference. It's not the first time Rockstar has thrown movie references into GTA 6 marketing material, as a recent screenshot appeared to reference Pulp Fiction. For more on GTA 6, we have a ton of GTA 6 screenshots, and we've got a good idea of the characters, locations, and vehicles that'll be in the game now. Preorders are now live, with the standard edition costing $80, and the Ultimate Edition costing $100 with a host of bonus content.
With a new (and steamy) launch trailer going live to remind you of its November 19 release date, Grand Theft Auto 6 is starting to look like a slick new chapter in the series. It's also sounding like a great sequel, and that's no accident as the game features an original soundtrack by French electronic music duo Justice. On top of that, a new single from Justice called "Flower in a Hurricane" will be featured on Grand Theft Auto 6: The Album, the official game soundtrack, and the track also includes Tame Impala, SZA, and King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard. If you're unfamiliar with them, Justice is a duo consisting of Gaspard Augé and Xavier de Rosnay, and they rose to fame with their 2007 album, Cross. They followed that up with Audio, Video, Disco in 2011, Woman in 2016, and after a seven-year hiatus, Hyperdrama in 2024. The pair have earned several Grammy nominations over the years and a ton of awards for their catchy mix of rock and disco themes, creating chart-topping hits. And that soundtrack will probably sound great in one of GTA 6's absurdly detailed night clubs. https://youtu.be/JWxoRY7AFSw While Justice crafts the core musical sound of GTA 6, players will also be free to flip through several radio stations and podcasts in the game. Like previous GTA entries, these encompass a wide variety of musical genres, from outlaw country rock to reggae. These will represent the “next evolution of in-game radio, and more,” Rockstar says, and players can listen to them while driving or on foot. The developer also revealed more details about the GTA 6 album, which features 34 songs written specifically for the game, including new music from Keith Richards and Travis Scott. Grand Theft Auto 6 will launch for PS5 and Xbox Series X next month, and while a PC port hasn't been announced yet, it might be coming sooner than you think. GTA 6: 268 Screenshots To Ease The Wait View Images
Vice City, USA.Jason and Lucia have always known the deck is stacked against them. But when an easy score goes wrong, they find themselves on the darkest side of the sunniest place in America, in the middle of a criminal conspiracy stretching across the state of Leonida — forced to rely on each other more than ever if they want to make it out alive. Check out the new Launch Trailer, featuring new music from electronic duo Justice, composers of the original score from Grand Theft Auto VI. The new standalone Justice single, “Flower in a Hurricane” feat. Tame Impala, SZA, and King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard, is also available on Grand Theft Auto VI: The Album, the official soundtrack which is currently available to pre-save on all major music streaming services and up for pre-order on vinyl or CD. This trailer was captured entirely in-game from a PlayStation 5. Grand Theft Auto VI arrives November 19.
As we inch ever closer to the tidal wave that is Grand Theft Auto VI approaching over the horizon, some minds are turning to awards season and how many awards Rockstar's next epic will catch in its wake. Some, like Insider Gaming, are beginning to report that--just barely--GTA will be eligible for The Game Awards, Geoff Keighley's annual December extravaganza, which has led others to wonder if that was by some nefarious design. The official website for The Game Awards lists November 20, 2026 at 9 PM PT as the cutoff date for this year's ceremony, which means that any game that launches before that time can be considered for nomination. As GTA VI is scheduled to launch one day earlier on November 19, that means GTA VI and TGA '26 will likely be intertwined this year. Jason and Lucia at the club. Now, before torches are lit and pitchforks are sharpened, evidence suggests that date was not put in place specifically for GTA to be eligible this year. If anything, it was Rockstar that planned around Keighley's schedule, as the Friday before Thanksgiving has routinely been the cutoff for TGA nominations. Last year, the cutoff was November 21, as referenced in this Polygon article regarding Dispatch's eligibility. In 2024, eligibility was cut off on November 22, as evidenced in this Polygon article exploring the games that missed 2024 and were eligible in 2025. 2018 was the last time a Rockstar project was eligible for The Game Awards, as Red Dead Redemption II landed 10 nominations and four wins. Notably, one of those wins was not Game Of The year, which went to Sony Santa Monica for the God of War reboot. Grand Theft Auto VI's eligibility for TGA 2026 was never in doubt--well, unless it got delayed again. Now that we're likely clear of that scenario, it's only a matter of time until we see just how many trophies are headed to Vice City.
Rockstar Games has published the launch trailer for GTA 6, and it's pretty spectacular. The game has been in development for more than a decade, and it's finally set for release on November 19 for PS5 and Xbox Series X|S. The trailer features the new song, "Flower in a Hurricane" from Justice featuring Tame Impala, SZA, and King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard. Justice also composed the entire original score for GTA 6. The trailer itself shows off lots more of Vice City and its people, places, and criminal activities. We also see very steamy scene with Lucia and Jason in the shower. Jason and Lucia are lovers and partners in crime, and cultivating their relationship is a big part of the game. Or, you can have them break up and just be friends who commit crimes together. The new trailer was captured on a base PS5. The trailer carries the PlayStation branding and even features an in-game controller that looks like a DualSense because Sony and Rockstar are working together to promote GTA 6. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rz1B4B2yBZY After a decade-plus of development, GTA 6 launches on November 19 for PS5 and Xbox Series X|S, with a PC release expected in early 2027.
Part of the reason why Rockstar has taken so long with GTA 6 comes down to the process of crafting the fine details, and that includes a new sweat system. Reporter Jason Schreier said on his YouTube page that Rockstar created a new system in GTA 6 that will make Lucia or Jason perspire different amounts "depending on how much effort they're putting in." For example, "If they're dancing extra hard in the nightclub, they will sweat more than if they are not," he said. The sweating system is expected to also apply in other areas, like when hitting the gym or just being outside in the heat of GTA 6's version of south Florida. Lucia in a club in GTA 6. GTA 6 is not the first game to make new strides in the area of bodily fluids, as EA Sports--many years ago--made sweat look more realistic in the Madden franchise. And years before that, 2K Sports improved the in-game sweating system in the NBA 2K series. Rockstar also aimed for more realism in GTA 6 by going on ridealongs with police officers and visiting strip clubs. GTA 6 isn't a life-sim, though, and Rockstar took strides to find the balance between simulating life and making a fun experience. GTA 6 launches on November 19 for PS5 and Xbox Series X|S, and it's expected to be the biggest game ever. Despite that, its expected success will not fix the many deep and serious issues with the current video game market, experts say.
If you've ever wondered what would happen if you put an AI VTuber, her evil twin, their creator, a cow, an imp, and a monkey in a car in a post-apocalyptic desert and told them to drive thousands of kilometers, congratulations. You've got the same brain as Vedal987, the creator of Neuro-Sama and her twin, Evil. The girls, along with Vedal, KokoNuts, Camila, and Crelly, kicked off a marathon of The Long Drive on October 12, with the ambitious goal of making it through a game that demands a lot more than just keeping a vehicle pointed in the right direction. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FZoC_8wP118 Each person streams their own perspective of the chaos, with Vedal's channel switching between Neuro, Evil, and himself. The six have been apparently finding new ways to turn their road trip into an insurance company's worst nightmare. For the unfamiliar, The Long Drive is an open-world driving and survival game set in a procedurally generated desert. Players need to scavenge for supplies, maintain their vehicles, manage fuel, and navigate an enormous stretch of road while trying to survive the journey. https://youtu.be/ulVpu2mN6ZI The ultimate destination is about 5,000km away, and it'll take you the same amount of time to drive that 5,000km as it would in real life. While the lore-accurate goal is to get to the protagonist's mother's house, Neuro and Evil prefer to imagine Disneyland as the final destination. There's plenty of freedom, but the game's physics can be hilariously unpredictable, turning a regular drive into slapstick comedy. If you recall the last time Neuro-Sama did a marathon stream, she ticked off all of the ways to die in Minecraft Hardcore one by one, leading to the slow descent into insanity for her companions. It seems like this time around, she's taking the same approach. Camila is mangled in that car, somewhere. The first major casualty arrived before the group had even settled into the journey. Camila fell victim to the game's physics, becoming entangled with the car, eventually succumbing to her injuries. Shortly after, Evil also passed away thanks to Camila accidentally dropping a truck on her head. Things only got more absurd when Vedal managed to get himself stuck in a well, taking advantage of the physics to launch himself out, and then immediately dying from the impact of the fall. How's the view up there, Vedal? Since their expedition began, there's been a plethora of incredible deaths. Vedal shot Camila, Crelly died in a car crash, and Neuro and Evil got stuck in the ground. Perhaps the most hilarious example of The Long Drive's physics causing mishaps, though, was watching Neuro soar across the sky with no one else having any idea how that happened. Not a bird, nor a plane. The marathon is keeping me riveted, not just because of the unreliable physics. The unusually long objective combined with a group of people who could just wander off, die, lose their car, or get separated along the way is pure cinema. The game is difficult enough when you consider it's pretty hard to find a vehicle that can accommodate everyone. So much so that a makeshift seat has been installed on the roof of the Neuro Car. Just don't let the twins sit there--the game will break. Vedal has modded in a custom Neuro and Evil livery. The Long Drive really is long, and at the time of writing, the friends are around 53% of the way through their trip, having done three days of streaming for roughly 10 hours per day. The desert is vast, and the cars are unreliable, but even if the most dangerous obstacle on their route is a well, I have faith in the chaos and will be following their journey closely.
I’ve owned all three iterations of the Meta Quest (formerly the Oculus Quest, my precious), the PSVR, and the Oculus Rift S, and I’ve spent years writing stories and reviews about VR games. I’m somewhat of a VR expert, I say in my best Willem Dafoe voice. The Steam Frame is arguably one of the most exciting VR headsets on the market, and with a chance to win one for just $1, well, it’s a no-brainer. While the Meta Quest 3 wins as a budget-friendly option (if $500 can be considered budget-friendly), the Steam Frame has some compelling advantages. Better weight distribution is vital for comfort during long VR sessions. It also offers more RAM and eye tracking, while giving you access to your Steam VR library as standalone experiences. Meta has plenty of exclusive games, but there are also PC VR titles that require a gaming PC to run. Without the right hardware, you could miss out on them entirely. Half-Life: Alyx, for example, remains a masterpiece and one of the best VR games ever made. Blade & Sorcery: Nomad may be one of my favorite Quest games, but it pales in comparison to the physics-bending, knee-demolishing intensity of the PC version. Vertigo 2 is another essential PC VR experience. Unless you have the right PC hardware, a Quest 3, and a reliable internet connection for PC VR streaming, these are the kinds of games you could miss out on. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yD-QHvRv-q4&pp=ygUTc3RlYW0gZnJhbWUgdHJhaWxlctIHCQk_DAGHKiGM7w%3D%3D However, it’s easy to see why the headset’s retail price might be a little… steep. Paying more than $1,000 for a VR headset is a lot, and if you haven’t tried virtual reality before, that price could be a huge turnoff. This is a headset for enthusiasts, but you don't necessarily need to buy a cheaper headset first to see if you enjoy VR. Instead, you could get lucky and win the 1TB Steam Frame through Fanatical’s Mystery Chest Bundle. Right now, you can try your luck with Fanatical’s Mystery Chest Bundle, buying one Steam key for $1 / £1 or up to 25 keys for $17.49 / £17.49. Each key gets you a game for your PC backlog and an entry toward the prize draw. You could unlock anything from major releases to Golden Chests packed with premium games—or, if luck is on your side, win the grand prize of a Steam Frame. Of course, it all comes down to chance. Still, you’ll receive games, so you might discover an overlooked experience you end up loving for just a buck. And if you do win a Steam Frame, well… wouldn’t you be a happy Headcrab? So, GLHF! And if you’re the winner, remember to take each VR session as it comes. Don’t want you getting motion sick on me. Disclosure: GameSpot and Fanatical are both owned by Fandom. This story was created in collaboration with Fanatical’s deals team.
As development on Cyberpunk 2 continues, game director Gabe Amatangelo has shared more thoughts on the Cyberpunk 2077 sequel and how his plans have evolved as CD Projekt Red has started to assign more people to its creation. In a new blog post, Amatangelo spoke about what the theme of cyberpunk means to him, remarking that he wanted to explore ideas of dehumanization. With more people now working on Cyberpunk 2, Amatangelo explained that the project is becoming a "reflection" of the people working on it as they add their own ideas to the mix. "I had the idea of Cyberpunk 2 in the beginning, but it evolves as I involve more people," Amatangelo said. "And it evolves as I empower the team and individuals within them to contribute. It becomes something else, right? It becomes this thing that I've shepherded, but it's ultimately a reflection of the team's hearts and souls. And I look forward to sharing that." Amatangelo added that, because video games have been a major influence in his life, he hopes they will continue to impact the people who immerse themselves in those digital worlds. "Video games impacted my life. They opened my mind, and got me motivated and excited. And I want to make sure that doesn't go away for this generation or the next," Amatangelo concluded. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hOwI_kMZ_2o While there's no clue as to when Cyberpunk 2 will be released, it is one of several big projects in development at CD Projekt Red. The company has ambitious plans to release an entire trilogy of Witcher games within a six-year period, starting with The Witcher 4. CD Projekt Red will also look to avoid a repeat of the infamous Cyberpunk 2077 launch debacle, when the game arrived in a broken, buggy state that took many months to fix. While the game improved massively over those months, received plenty of free post-launch support in the following years, and received a critically acclaimed expansion in the form of Phantom Liberty, the troubled launch still did major reputational damage to CD Projekt Red. But right now? Cyberpunk 2077 is pretty great, and worth picking up. It continues to be a best-seller--especially when it gets a big discount--and with season two of the spin-off anime series Cyberpunk: Edgerunners launching on October 20, interest in the game is likely to spike once again. On top of that, Paramount has also announced that it's making a Cyberpunk 2077 movie.
Capcom has ported Resident Evil 2, 3, and 4 remakes over to the Nintendo Switch 2. We know these game are worth playing, but do the Switch 2 ports do these games justice?
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