In case you weren't aware, Requiem will feature both Grace Ashcroft and Leon S. Kennedy in a game that seemingly draws from the franchise's best horror and action elements, and a general motif of facing the past. For Grace, that means revisiting the scene of her mother's death, who we know as Alyssa Ashcroft (who featured in Resident Evil Outbreak).

For Leon (and long-standing fans), it means a return to Raccoon City, where it all began for our rookie cop, in an attempt to uncover the mystery behind the Raccoon City incident in 1998.

Ultimately, Requiem looks set to act as the closing chapter to the overarching story plot that started in the second and third instalments in the series, especially with Umbrella, who are responsible for bioweapons and almost all viruses in the mainline games, heavily featured via the RE9's antagonist Victor Gideon, and 'Elpis' potentially being a new virus.

With that being said, it's ideal for fans to take the chance to revisit previous games in the series. Not only is Requiem potentially a closing chapter, but it looks like it may also act as a segway into a new arc (or generation, if you will) once the veil is lifted on Raccoon City's secrets. It's made evident with Grace Ashcroft seemingly set up to take the mantle and become a cornerstone of the series as a legacy character for the future titles.

Before diving into Requiem when it releases on February 27, 2026, on PS5, Xbox Series X | S, PC, and Nintendo Switch 2, now is the best time for us to dive into the past to prepare. There are plenty of Resident Evil games to play, both mainline and side titles, but I've narrowed down the five I think you should play to be ready for what may be the most ambitious RE game to date.

1. Resident Evil 3 Remake

Resident Evil 3 serves as not only the extra puzzle piece that ties all events in Raccoon City up well, taking place both before and after Resident Evil 2, but it's quite literally the last time we see Raccoon City in the mainline games, before it's destroyed.

I think one of Resident Evil Requiem's major selling points is the return to Raccoon City, and rightly so. While there's only so much we can speculate regarding 'Elpis' in Resident Evil Requiem, it seems to be a combination of at least the T-virus or G-virus in RE3, with something like Resident Evil 4's Las Plagas, making zombies behave human-like.

While its main character, Jill Valentine, might not feature in Requiem, it's ideal to see Raccoon City's sterilization occur, to not only make the return in Requiem feel far more personal, but also bring RE3's bioweapon discoveries full circle once Umbrella is further investigated.

Requiem will likely also feature locations that were present in RE3, and its deluxe edition features DLC as 'Files: Letters from 1998', so it's best to be covered on all things Raccoon City while you still can.

2. Resident Evil Revelations 1

While Resident Evil: Revelations is unrelated to the events of Resident Evil Requiem, Koshi Nakanishi is responsible for directing both games and has essentially referenced Revelations as similar to Requiem due to its structure and alternating gameplay style, as inferred and reported by IGN.

We'll be playing as Leon and Grace equally come February 27, and that's exactly the structure you'll find in Resident Evil: Revelations. Chris Redfield, Jill Valentine, Parker Luciani, and many other side characters are present and playable, and it wouldn't surprise me if Requiem has more in store than just Grace and Leon as playable characters.

That brings me to the recent 30th anniversary artwork for Resident Evil (available above), which features Leon S. Kennedy, Claire Redfield, Chris Redfield, Jill Valentine, Grace Ashcroft, and Ada Wong. Capcom has been a master at trolling and pranking fans during Requiem's marketing with purposely misleading statements.

With this in mind, I have a very strong suspicion that Requiem could follow in the footsteps of Revelations and feature all of the characters seen in the artwork. Not all of the characters in the 2012 game were playable, but they were present in partnered sequences with playable characters, and I could see this as Capcom's final major surprise for its ninth instalment.

3. Resident Evil 2 Remake

Capcom's Resident Evil 2 remake is one I'd mark as a must-play in the lead-up to Requiem. It's easily one of the best survival horror games available, and is the literal beginning of Leon S. Kennedy's story in the Resident Evil franchise.

While the follow-up title provides a clear image of what happens in Raccoon City shortly before RE2's events and after with Raccoon City's sterilization, this second instalment includes enough lore, locations, and plot points (which I won't spoil) that will almost certainly be referenced in some capacity in Resident Evil 9 Requiem.

We're returning to Raccoon City on February 27, which means Leon will be revisiting the nightmare he faced in 1998, and both Claire Redfield and Sherry Birkin are rumored to be making an appearance in Requiem, so you might want to be clued up on that beforehand.

It's also worth noting that Grace's gameplay segments will be directly influenced by RE2, so either replaying or diving in for the first time will be a great way to get accustomed to what's on the horizon.

4. Resident Evil 4 Remake

There's no other way to stress this: Resident Evil 4 remake is one of the best games of all time, right up alongside the original 2005 title. The latter is a trend-setter, revolutionizing games by making the third-person over-the-shoulder camera perspective popular – and its impact is still clear today.

However, strictly speaking of Resident Evil continuity, the Resident Evil 4 remake can serve as a direct sequel to the Resident Evil 2 remake, specifically regarding Leon S. Kennedy. There's a clear focus on the rookie cop's progression to a more seasoned and formidable figure. It even highlights the theme of things being different for the character (referenced in the opening cutscene), after the Raccoon City disaster.

We learn very early on in RE4 that Leon and the President's daughter, Ashley Graham, are both infected with Las Plagas, and spend a large majority of the game's runtime rushing to rescue her from Osmund Saddler's clutches, and cure them both in the process.

Fans were quick to spot that Leon is seemingly infected in RE9, and it looks like the clock may be ticking on finding a cure, which is clearly similar to some of RE4's plot. Requiem feels like it's the game that will complete a 'trilogy' story for Leon and his ties with Raccoon City – and yes, he's present in Resident Evil 6, but RE2, RE4, and RE9 all appear to have a greater focus on the matter, and frankly, the recent remakes take priority over original games.

More generally, I believe RE4 is arguably the best entry in the entire franchise, balancing horror and action well enough to satisfy players – and since Leon will share the stage with Grace in Requiem, the game's director, Koshi Nakanishi, has stated that Leon's gameplay will be inspired by RE4's, and that's been made evident in the reveal trailer and recent gameplay showcase.

5. Resident Evil 7: Biohazard

Capcom's Resident Evil 7: Biohazard is the scariest game in the franchise as it stands, so much so that Capcom reportedly toned the scares down for its sequel, Resident Evil: Village, because of complaints.

It's the first game in the series to use the first-person camera perspective, and it is another title that Koshi Nakanishi directed, which should already explain why I recommend playing this before February 27.

I don't expect Grace Ashcroft's segments in Requiem to be as scary as what's presented in Resident Evil 7, but I suspect it will be close enough. RE9 will feature both first and third-person camera perspectives, and Capcom's recommended choice for Requiem (at least for Grace's gameplay) is first-person, which makes RE7 the best game to play to prepare for that gameplay aspect of what's to come.

While Capcom has stated that Requiem can be played and enjoyed without ever playing any of the previous titles, I can almost guarantee you that you'll likely enjoy the new instalment so much more if you dive into these games. You won't regret it.

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That’s not to say it’s a slow starter, though. Code Vein 2 does a great job of steadily introducing you to its new and overhauled gameplay systems in those opening hours. And overall, this is a much more confident game than its 2019 prequel.

The original Code Vein, which I’m nonetheless a fan of, was painfully linear (outside of one comically labyrinthine level about halfway through) by soulslike standards, had fairly one-note characters, and a difficulty that was more rollercoaster than curve.

Code Vein 2 comes seven years later and is a vast improvement on almost all fronts. It presents a world, story, and characters I couldn’t help but fall in love with. The open world, once it does truly open up, is wonderful to explore; packed with things to find and secrets to uncover without feeling overwhelming. I adore the new Blood Code system, too, which makes it incredibly easy and riskless to try out new weapons, abilities, and builds.

If you generally enjoy soulslikes, including Lies of P or the Nioh series - or if you were a fan of the original Code Vein - then Code Vein 2 gets an easy recommendation from me. Some of the original game’s problems do persist here, though. Namely, a lack of enemy and boss variety, some rather samey dungeon design, and a bit of a difficulty trench that makes much of the mid-game pretty breezy.

However, these issues pale in comparison to my main bugbear with Code Vein 2. Its performance on console needs some serious work, with the game often struggling to meet even 30 frames per second (fps) in the larger outdoor environments. There’s also little difference between the two console performance options; neither offers a particularly stable play experience.

If Bandai Namco is able to rectify this through post-game support, however (and there will likely be a good amount of it with an expansion set to release this year), then Code Vein 2 has a chance of becoming one of the best soulslike games of recent years. After all, the ingredients are already here.

The end of the world as we know it

If you’re new to the series, fear not. Code Vein 2’s story is, by and large, a separate entity from that of the first game. While some terminology and lore tidbits do cross over, the original is certainly not required reading in order to enjoy this sequel.

It does begin in a similar manner, though. The player character, having recently died, is resurrected as a revenant hunter. From your base of operations, MagMell, you’re tasked with slaying five heroes of old in order to prevent an imminent calamity.

It’s not as simple as just rocking up to their door and demanding a fight, though. You’ll first need to procure a key - a resonant object that played an important part in any given hero’s life - to release them from dormancy. To do so, you’ll travel back in time to the hero’s eras not only to explore their regions on the world map, but also to get to know them intimately and help them solve the crises of their time.

It’s a brilliant narrative hook. The heroes are all incredibly likable characters. Befriending and forming bonds with them in the past, only to have to put them down in their boss forms in the present, always left me feeling a little saddened. It was enough of a hook to get me to keep playing, especially as side quests involving the heroes can help them come to terms with past regrets and put a more positive spin on their fates in the future.

Full kit

Code Vein 2 puts player expression at the forefront. Like the first game, you’ll start with a fantastic, in-depth character creator, and it’s even better in the sequel. You can customize your character to a pretty granular degree, from clothing and accessories to hair highlights and even how light bounces off their eyes.

I’m not ashamed to admit I spent a whole hour making my hunter, and to some, that’s probably no time at all, given the options on offer. You can fully change your appearance at MagMell at any time, too, if you ever want to make adjustments both small and large.

There’s a healthy amount of weapon types, too, from massive axes and hammers to hit-and-run mid-range options like bayonets and rune blades. In addition to standard weapons, there are plenty of armaments to supplement your build, also. Formae, for example, come in offensive and defensive varieties. There aren’t a terrible amount of these in the game, but they do offer you options for ranged attacks, shields, evasion, and more.

Then there’s the Jails, supplementary weapons that you’ll use to drain essence from enemies to restore the Ichor you need to spend on skills. You can assign four skills to a weapon, and they come in the form of offensive maneuvers or support spells. Learning how and when to use skills in battle is essential in Code Vein 2, and using them in tandem with your regular attacks and your Jail offers a pretty satisfying combat loop.

Code of conduct

The Blood Code system returns in Code Vein 2, and they’ve been significantly overhauled here.

Put simply, a Blood Code is essentially a template for your desired build. Individual Blood Codes have their own spread of stats baked in (you can level up your character, but like in the first game, this is a general increase to health, attack power, and the like). This lets you best take advantage of different types of weapons and playstyle-altering boosters.

It’s a novel idea, and one I think works well here. Blood Codes mean that you don’t have to lock yourself into any one type of playstyle, like you might have to in the likes of Elden Ring or Lies of P, before having access to stat reallocation in those games.

Not liking the heavy strength-based playstyle? Swap out your Blood Code for something Dexterity or spell-focused. In terms of builds, you’re really only limited by weapon upgrade materials, which are plentiful out on the world map and can be found easily via exploration. You’re also actively incentivized to try out several Blood Codes, as maxing out familiarity with them will reward you with unique and powerful boosters, which are similar to Elden Ring’s talismans (or Dark Souls’ rings).

Blood Codes also feature the 'Burden' system. Weapons and other equipment will contribute to this burden, and your Blood Code's stats are effectively the amount of 'weight' that can be applied to them. If you're under the stat burden, you'll gain various benefits, while going over will incur penalties. Overburdened Vitality, for example, will lower your dodge efficiency under a certain health threshold.

With friends like these

Rounding out combat in Code Vein 2 are your partners, with whom you can explore the open world. You can choose which partner to take with you at any Mistle (that’s Code Vein’s version of checkpoints/bonfires), and they offer varying stats and perks based on their own playstyles and personality.

Partners are a fantastic system, too, and offer something of a stealth difficulty option, of sorts. Your partner can fight alongside you, for one, handy when you need a distraction when facing multiple enemies. Alternatively, you can ‘assimilate’ your partner, absorbing them into your Jail, giving you noticeable stat boosts and increased power. This is incredibly useful during boss fights, especially if you’re confident going one-on-one with Code Vein 2’s most challenging foes.

Speaking of challenge, one complaint I have is that, like the first game, difficulty is a bit all over the place. I greatly struggled in the first 10 or so hours of play. Enemies have incredibly high poise, rarely staggering from even heavier-hitting attacks. Most can hit like a truck, too, leading to some growing pains as you’re finding your feet in the early game.

However, once you’ve got some solid upgrades behind you - be that a powerful new weapon or Blood Code - things start to become significantly easier. The first major boss was quite the gatekeeper for me, and certainly the one I struggled most with in the entire playthrough.

After this, while the game wasn’t necessarily any easier on paper, I’d earned enough upgrades through thorough exploration that few areas, enemies, and even bosses gave me any trouble whatsoever. In fact, it wasn’t until the last couple of late-game dungeons that difficulty shot right back up, honestly feeling a little over-tuned.

Code Vein 2 has a bit of a difficulty trough, then. The game is bookended on either side by significant challenges, but you’ll likely breeze through a good three-quarters of the game’s overall content. Enemy and boss variety is pretty lacking, too, meaning you’ll quickly learn the ins and outs of most enemy types before the halfway mark. That’s definitely a shame, especially as the world presented in Code Vein 2 is otherwise incredibly creative, with some truly astounding boss designs.

The frontier wasn't built in a day

Overall, I love Code Vein 2, but there was one major aspect of the game that often prevented me from enjoying it fully. Performance on console (at least on PS5, where I reviewed the game) is frankly abysmal.

While interior locations run well enough, often maintaining the 60fps target, things plummet in the larger outdoor environments. There is a ton of environmental clutter, from rubble and foliage to abundant particle effects, which certainly doesn’t help. But even the act of swinging the camera around can cause the frame rate to chug uncomfortably. It can be a nightmare against bosses, too, with some of the flashier attacks resulting in a notable decrease in overall performance.

In short, it’s a mess. It’s something that I hope Bandai Namco can address post-launch, as Code Vein 2 is an otherwise brilliant game, unfortunately hampered all too often by poor performance.

Should I play Code Vein 2?

Play it if...

Don't play it if...

Accessibility

There aren’t many dedicated accessibility options in Code Vein 2 at launch. The game does feature fully remappable controls, though, and decent subtitles support that lets you adjust size, background opacity, and speaker identity.

How I reviewed Code Vein 2

My playthrough of Code Vein 2 lasted around 42 hours. This was near enough a 100% completion run, tackling all main and side quest content. In that time, I fully upgraded several weapons, Blood Codes, and Jails, and was able to craft some seriously powerful builds.

I’ll definitely be looking at a New Game Plus run close to when the planned DLC drops later this year. I played the game on PlayStation 5 with the DualSense Wireless Controller, on an LG CX OLED TV.

First reviewed January 2026

With more than four hours of Resident Evil Requiem under my belt, I’m confident that it’s on track to be the finest entry in the long-running survival horror series so far.

I don’t say that lightly either, and I was skeptical that developer Capcom would be able to make everything work when it was revealed that fan-favorite hero Leon S. Kennedy would be returning as a playable character alongside newcomer Grace Ashcroft.

After all, how can you craft a compelling survival horror experience when you’re dealing with an action hero protagonist who is more capable than an army of marines? The answer is surprisingly simple: you don’t.

Playing as Leon in Resident Evil Requiem is like a New Game Plus run of the Resident Evil 4 remake on steroids: you’re an ultra-powerful killing machine that can mow down legions of the undead without even breaking a sweat.

It’s the Grace sections that are intended to deliver the serious scares. They're set in wonderfully intricate environments expertly built for tense exploration, desperate resource scavenging, and scrappy fights that always have you on the back foot.

The prospect of frequently switching between the two styles might sound jarring, but what I've experienced so far is so well-paced that it's nothing short of a sublime blend of masterful combat and hair-raising horror, all wedded together seamlessly.

Chainsaw hot potato

My hands-on picked up with an aged (and unapologetically DILF-y) Leon rolling up to the entrance to the suitably daunting Rhodes Hill Chronic Care Center, a creepy medical facility inside a massive Victorian-style home. Parallels to the iconic Spencer Mansion from the original Resident Evil are apparent from the get-go, even down to this new building’s eerie facade.

Greeted by a nurse and led to a small waiting room, it all hits the fan in record time when a zombie doctor bursts in and promptly executes her in an unapologetic showcase of the game’s brutally realistic gore. Before you know it you’re weaving between oncoming chainsaw blows as even more zombies emerge from the surrounding rooms, setting the stage for an intense confrontation.

As Leon, the combat seems like a natural evolution of the already excellent systems established in the Resident Evil 4 remake. In the default third-person perspective (do note that you can change to first-person at any time), movement feels even smoother with slick shooting that staggers enemies to set up savage melee finishers. Enemies react realistically to the positioning of your shots too, dynamically falling if you go for the knees, for example, rewarding those who think tactically with valuable - but limited - time to reload.

The parrying from Resident Evil 4 is back, now in the form of a deadly combat axe that can block strikes before deftly lopping off your attacker’s head.

Of course, chainsaw wielding maniacs are hardly new territory for a Resident Evil game - but advanced new enemy interactions keep the whole encounter fresh. I was shocked when another zombie snatched the chainsaw from the body of his fallen comrade, hurtling itself across the floor towards me like a bloodied ragdoll as it revved uncontrollably in its hands.

Leon can wield the chainsaw too, cutting through infected limbs with ease, creating a frantic game of chainsaw hot potato as it’s picked up by successive zombies as you desperately try to get your hands on the deadly weapon.

Tread carefully

After that bloody fight, you’re seamlessly brought right to where the slice available to visitors at Gamescom 2025 (which I tried back in August) left off as Leon rescues Grace from the clutches of a terrifying, mutated woman. The pair are separated almost immediately by a hospital lockdown, but not before he can hand her a revolver - the ‘Requiem’. The perspective shifts as you're brought into first person to assume control of Grace, and the change in tone is palpable.

Where Leon embodies the more combat-focused design of entries like 3, 4, 5, and 6, Grace represents the slower, more considered pace of the original two Resident Evil games and, particularly, the excellent 7. Panicked breathing and shaking hands betray her fear as you explore, soaking in the incredible ambience of the sprawling facility.

First-person helps you really appreciate the level of detail in the models and textures, too. The Resident Evil games have always been graphical showcases, particularly in recent years, but Requiem takes the visuals to new heights with beautifully life-like lighting and plenty of objects to pick up and pore over.

Sure, my preview build was running on a PlayStation 5 Pro, and mainly confined to smaller areas, so it's hard to say whether every platform will look quite so excellent (I’m definitely interested in seeing how much is preserved in the Nintendo Switch 2 version) but given Capcom’s excellent track record of optimization I think it’s a pretty safe bet that we’re in for stunner.

Grace’s segment is classic Resident Evil with coded locks, little puzzles, and progression that’s tied to working out how all the items you hoover up as you go fit in with each other and the environment. There’s no impenetrable ‘adventure game logic’ here - it’s all brilliantly intuitive, and I never found myself at a loose end wondering what to do.

Special enemies litter the many hallways and chambers, introduced in a gradual manner to keep the suspense high. I managed to kill most of the ones that I encountered through a combination of sheer luck and being very careful with my resources, and was rewarded with liberal numbers of tokens to unlock special gear from automated cabinets - a system reminiscent of those bird cages you could buy gear from in 7.

Remember that revolver Leon gave you? Don’t get too excited, as he was incredibly stingy with the ammo, and you’re not going to get more than a couple shots out of it, max.

It is incredibly powerful, but takes up a lot of space in your very limited inventory, too, so you need to think very carefully about exactly when and where to bring it - and even more so about when to actually fire it.

I chose to hang on to it and its limited rounds, which came in clutch when all the zombies I had killed transformed into powerful red monstrosities a la the infamous Crimson Heads from the original Resident Evil remake.

Grace can prevent this terrifying transformation by stabbing a zombie with her Haemolytic Injector - a fancy syringe and one hit stealth kill. Charges are very limited, though, and require blood collected from the environment to craft, so, again, you risk putting yourself in sticky situations down the line if you use it too haphazardly.

Throw in some incredible set-piece scares, which I’m not going to spoil, and you have a delightfully dread-filled experience that left me shaken but desperate for more. I’ve always loved the Resident Evil series in all its disparate survival horror and action incarnations - and Requiem truly feels like the best of both worlds.

I already know that I’ll be there day one when it releases for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and Series S, PC, and Nintendo Switch on February 27 this year.

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Good morning! Let's play Connections, the NYT's clever word game that challenges you to group answers in various categories. It can be tough, so read on if you need Connections hints.

What should you do once you've finished? Why, play some more word games of course. I've also got daily Strands hints and answers and Quordle hints and answers articles if you need help for those too, while Marc's Wordle today page covers the original viral word game.

SPOILER WARNING: Information about NYT Connections today is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers.

NYT Connections today (game #961) - today's words

Today's NYT Connections words are…

• BATMOBILE
• FRIAR
• CARD
• ROBIN
• JOKER
• BASEMENT
• PENGUIN
• CHARACTER
• SHERIFF
• DEVIL
• CAPSTONE
• FLYER
• RANGER
• MAID
• BALLROOM
• CUTUP

NYT Connections today (game #961) - hint #1 - group hints

What are some clues for today's NYT Connections groups?

• YELLOW: A fun person
• GREEN: Hockey player
• BLUE: His merry men and woman
• PURPLE: Initially seen as Yankee Stadium

Need more clues?

We're firmly in spoiler territory now, but read on if you want to know what the four theme answers are for today's NYT Connections puzzles…

NYT Connections today (game #961) - hint #2 - group answers

What are the answers for today's NYT Connections groups?

• YELLOW: QUITE THE LAUGH
• GREEN: NHL TEAM MEMBER
• BLUE: FIRST WORDS OF ROBIN HOOD CHARACTER NAMES
• PURPLE: STARTING WITH BASEBALL GEAR

Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.

NYT Connections today (game #961) - the answers

The answers to today's Connections, game #961, are…

• YELLOW: QUITE THE LAUGH CARD, CHARACTER, CUTUP, JOKER
• GREEN: NHL TEAM MEMBER DEVIL, FLYER, PENGUIN, RANGER
• BLUE: FIRST WORDS OF ROBIN HOOD CHARACTER NAMES FRIAR, MAID, ROBIN, SHERIFF
• PURPLE: STARTING WITH BASEBALL GEAR BALLROOM, BASEMENT, BATMOBILE, CAPSTONE

• My rating: Hard
• My score: 2 mistakes

If you've been playing Connections for a while I'm sure you – like me – had a strong sense of deja-vu today, with several previously played categories reappearing and the Caped Crusader making another stealthy appearance.

Even though every sense was telling me it was a trap. I couldn't resist linking ROBIN, BATMOBILE, PENGUIN, and JOKER. After that I made another mistake but got closer, with QUITE THE LAUGH connecting CARD, CHARACTER and JOKER but trying DEVIL instead of CUTUP.

With one group down, I saw the NHL TEAM MEMBER names and was on my way to the finish line after spotting ball, cap, bat and base at the start of BALLROOM, CAPSTONE, BATMOBILE, and BASEMENT.

Yesterday's NYT Connections answers (Monday, January 26, game #960)

• YELLOW: EXPLOIT DRAIN, FLEECE, MILK, SQUEEZE
• GREEN: DAUNT BUFFALO, COW, RATTLE, RUFFLE
• BLUE: ICONIC ACTRESSES CLOSE, FIELD, FOSTER, WEAVER
• PURPLE: MAMMALS MINUS LAST LETTER BADGE, GOA, MOOS, RABBI

Xbox has talked a bit more about its release strategy for PlayStation 5, going so far as to admit things could be smoother on that front.

In an interview with GamesRadar+, Xbox Game Studios boss Craig Duncan went into detail about the success of the publisher's endeavors on Sony's machine, highlighting Forza Horizon 5 as a particularly impressive standout.

"Forza Horizon 5, which launched on PS5 last year, did really, really well," Duncan said. "It helped the community around that game grow – it gives everybody more people to play with. For me, this strategy is really about how we can have our games reach as many people as they can."

Xbox Game Studios released a number of its titles on PS5 last year. Games like Doom: The Dark Ages and The Outer Worlds 2 arrived on the console on the same day as the Xbox and PC versions. Some weren't so fortunate, though, with the likes of Indiana Jones and the Great Circle coming to PS5 at a later date.

This will also be true of Forza Horizon 6, which is coming to Xbox and PC on May 19, 2026. However, a PS5 release is expected later this year, with no concrete date specified at the time of writing. This also doesn't line up with the launches of both Fable and Kiln, which are planned to come to PS5 the same day as other platforms.

Duncan explained why this might be the case, saying: "There's always development realities about when these projects start – how big a team is, and what plans we have at the start of development...

"Sometimes we are inconsistent. You see some games in one place, some games in multiple places. Just know that we're going to work on that, and we're going to try and be more consistent with what we do."

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In order to enjoy GameChat at its best, I’d suggest picking up a camera for your Nintendo Switch 2. This will open up video capabilities, which aren’t only used for GameChat, but also for certain content in titles such as Super Mario Party Jamboree + Jamboree TV and the upcoming Switch 2 version of Animal Crossing: New Horizons.

But which Nintendo Switch 2 camera is the best? After testing three of the most popular models, I have one clear answer. That’s right, I’ve tried out the official Nintendo Switch 2 Camera, the Hori Piranha Plant Camera, and the Hori USB Camera to help you select the best model for your shiny new console.

I’ll compare all of these across three key metrics: design, performance, and value for money. Then, I’ll give my verdict on which camera is the best Nintendo Switch 2 accessory, and what truly sets it apart. With all of that said, let’s get right into our comparison.

Design: zooming in on the details

Now, in terms of design, there are a lot of similarities between Hori’s USB and Piranha Plant cameras. One key benefit these share is that they’re optimized for both TV and handheld play. When playing docked, you can place the cameras on their respective base and either mount them or place them on a flat surface. When you’re on the go, you can instead plug the webcam directly into the system’s top USB-C slot, which is incredibly practical.

Meanwhile, the official Switch 2 camera isn’t quite as versatile. It comes with a secure stand, which is optimal for docked gameplay, but isn’t detachable – yep, no specialized handheld mode here, folks.

Even if the official cam is a little more rigid than its rivals, one area it propels itself above them is in build quality. The stem and base of this camera are metallic and very well-made, giving the product a premium look and feel. It isn’t a very vibrant or exciting-looking piece of kit, but again, it’s got a sleek, elegant build, which feels on-brand with the Switch 2 console.

On the other hand, I’m not a massive lover of the Hori USB camera’s aesthetic. Sure, it’s ultra-compact, making it easy to throw in a case like the official Nintendo Switch 2 Carrying Case, but it does look a little bland.

The camera with the most pizzazz is clearly the Hori Piranha Plant Camera for Nintendo Switch 2. This model, which beautifully replicates the classic Super Mario baddie, has a closable mouth, which acts as a privacy shutter, an attachable leaf part, and even a base that looks like its iconic plant pot. It's colorful and eye-catching, which combined with its flexibility, makes it the best-designed model of the three, in my view.

Performance: lights, camera, action

Upon its release, the Hori Piranha Plant Camera was met with a fair share of criticism. Not for its design or for its price… but for its performance. See, this thing’s resolution is just 480p, which will seem very archaic to a lot of users.

What does this mean in practice? Well, you can expect unrefined results, with blurry faces, obscured details, and washed-out colors. What’s more, this remains the case for the Hori USB camera as well, meaning I can’t recommend either for those seeking out good picture quality.

These cameras also have a fairly limited field of view – 85 degrees to be exact. So, in the situation that you want to capture a bunch of players in your living room, the scope of these models may be too limiting. The only aspect that these cameras excel in, performance-wise, is tracking. They’ll frame your face pretty effectively in games like Mario Kart World – just don’t expect a sharp picture, especially from a distance.

It’s a very different story with the official Nintendo Switch 2 camera. Its 1080p resolution is a gigantic upgrade on the Hori models, producing a more detailed, color-accurate, and dynamic picture time after time. Still, 1080p is by no means revolutionary, and I picked up on some surroundings appearing a tad fuzzy, but this camera is certainly sharp enough for most users.

The official Switch 2 camera also has a better field of view – about 110 degrees, which makes it ideal for capturing larger groups. It runs at 30fps – the same as both Hori models, and all three cameras offered consistent motion in my testing. All things considered, then, the official Switch 2 camera is the clear winner when it comes to performance.

Value: which camera is really worth your money?

Finally, let’s talk about value for money, which is arguably the most important category of all. These cameras vary a little in price, with the Hori Piranha Plant typically coming in at $39.99 / £24.99 / AU$64.95 (after a widespread price-cut). Hori’s USB Camera usually sits at around the same mark, but the official Switch 2 camera has a list price of $54.99 / £49.99 / AU$69.95.

In this case, though, I think the additional spend is well worth it. The official camera may not be as versatile and compact as the Hori USB Camera or as groovy as the Piranha Plant, but its picture quality is so much better than theirs. It also has a robust, sleek design, and a neat privacy shutter of its own. As a result, it’s the only model I’d recommend outright for anyone looking to take their GameChat experiences up a notch.

Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our expert news, reviews, and opinion in your feeds. Make sure to click the Follow button!

And of course you can also follow TechRadar on TikTok for news, reviews, unboxings in video form, and get regular updates from us on WhatsApp too.

Good morning! Let's play Connections, the NYT's clever word game that challenges you to group answers in various categories. It can be tough, so read on if you need Connections hints.

What should you do once you've finished? Why, play some more word games of course. I've also got daily Strands hints and answers and Quordle hints and answers articles if you need help for those too, while Marc's Wordle today page covers the original viral word game.

SPOILER WARNING: Information about NYT Connections today is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers.

NYT Connections today (game #960) - today's words

Today's NYT Connections words are…

• FOSTER
• COW
• BADGE
• MILK
• RABBI
• RATTLE
• FIELD
• MOOS
• SQUEEZE
• CLOSE
• RUFFLE
• FLEECE
• WEAVER
• DRAIN
• GOA
• BUFFALO

NYT Connections today (game #960) - hint #1 - group hints

What are some clues for today's NYT Connections groups?

• YELLOW: Take advantage of someone
• GREEN: Stir up a situation
• BLUE: Silver screen females
• PURPLE: Beasts with missing end

Need more clues?

NYT Connections today (game #960) - hint #2 - group answers

What are the answers for today's NYT Connections groups?

• YELLOW: EXPLOIT
• GREEN: DAUNT
• BLUE: ICONIC ACTRESSES
• PURPLE: MAMMALS MINUS LAST LETTER

Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.

NYT Connections today (game #960) - the answers

The answers to today's Connections, game #960, are…

• YELLOW: EXPLOIT DRAIN, FLEECE, MILK, SQUEEZE
• GREEN: DAUNT BUFFALO, COW, RATTLE, RUFFLE
• BLUE: ICONIC ACTRESSES CLOSE, FIELD, FOSTER, WEAVER
• PURPLE: MAMMALS MINUS LAST LETTER BADGE, GOA, MOOS, RABBI

• My rating: Hard
• My score: 1 mistake

An interesting but tricky game today, with lots of crossovers. I was on the right track with DAUNT, although I thought it was more about pressuring someone, so I had BADGE instead of BUFFALO. 

After that came up as 'one away', it clicked that the word I was looking for was BADGER – which led me to see the other three words that were MAMMALS MINUS LAST LETTER.

I had an interesting late-night experience with a BADGER last year, when I woke up to one in the early hours who had tipped over our trash and was rummaging around amid the rubbish and rather than run away – I thought they were shy animals – it stared me down, before reluctantly rolling away like a boss.

Yesterday's NYT Connections answers (Sunday, January 25, game #959)

• YELLOW: ACT AS A BACKUP COVER, FILL IN, SUB, TEMP
• GREEN: PC KEYBOARD KEYS ALT, ENTER, MENU, WINDOWS
• BLUE: PASTA SHAPES BOWTIE, RIBBON, SHELL, TUBE
• PURPLE: SUFFIXES ATE, DOM, HOOD, SHIP

The PowerA Advantage Wireless Controller for Nintendo Switch 2 is just far too expensive to recommend.

As a Nintendo Switch 2 Pro Controller alternative that comes in at $69.99 / £49.99 (around AU$100) (that’s only $15 / £15 less than the going price of Nintendo’s official offering), it simply shouldn’t feel anywhere near as cheap and hollow as it does.

This is far from the only issue, as there is a raft of other problems to contend with. Although the PowerA Advantage Wireless Controller for Nintendo Switch 2 features all of the expected inputs (including two remappable rear ones), the Start and Select buttons are tiny and positioned right at the bottom of the pad’s face, making them difficult to press.

The triggers are also quite shallow, leading to a very unsatisfying pulling motion. If that wasn't enough, the hard plastic and abrasive texture around the tips of the thumbsticks make them uncomfortable to use over long periods of time.

These are all issues that were present with the much cheaper PowerA Advantage Switch 2 Wired Controller, but it’s much easier to forgive on a model that starts at just $39.99 / £29.99. It’s especially egregious when even super budget controllers like the $24.99 / £29.99 GameSir Nova Lite don’t suffer from anywhere near the same number of problems.

The PowerA Advantage Wireless Controller for Nintendo Switch 2 isn’t a total lost cause, though. The battery life, which can reach up to 30 hours, is strong, and its motion controls work well. You also get the option of far more interesting designs than you would find with the official offering, which is pretty neat.

PowerA Advantage Wireless Controller for Nintendo Switch 2: Price and availability

• Costs $69.99 / £49.99 (around AU$100)
• Official Pro Controller goes for $85 / £64.99
• Not strong value for money

At $69.99 / £49.99 (around AU$100), the PowerA Advantage Wireless Controller for Nintendo Switch 2 is not particularly good value for money, especially when you can find the official Pro Controller for around $15 / £15 more in either the US or UK at the time of writing.

The hollow build quality is almost identical to the significantly cheaper $39.99 / £29.99 PowerA Advantage Switch 2 Wired Controller, so I don’t understand why PowerA thought it would be appropriate to hike up the price just for the addition of wireless connectivity and motion controls.

If this controller were to cost around $49.99 / £39.99, then this would be a much more positive review - but it’s just not competitive at its asking price. This is especially true when you factor in similar costing third-party options like the 8BitDo Ultimate 2, which is far superior in terms of build and features.

The PowerA Advantage Wireless Controller for Nintendo Switch 2 is at least widely available in the US and UK via the PowerA website or retailers like Amazon.

PowerA Advantage Wireless Controller for Nintendo Switch 2: Specs

PowerA Advantage Wireless Controller for Nintendo Switch 2: Design and features

• Standard controller shape
• Row of buttons at the bottom
• Features remappable rear inputs

The PowerA Advantage Wireless Controller for Nintendo Switch 2 looks like your standard Nintendo Switch or Nintendo Switch 2 controller, with the usual face buttons and asymmetrical thumbstick layout. Although this controller is compatible with both systems, it features a dedicated C button like the official Nintendo Switch 2 Pro Controller.

My only real issue with the design here is the positioning of the Start and Select buttons. They’re tiny and arranged as part of a row with the Capture, Home, and C buttons that are positioned right at the bottom of the face of the controller. They’re awkward to hit as a result, and frequently required me to reposition my hands a little in order to reach them, which is a frustrating oversight. They sit above a little LED light bar, which illuminates when the controller is in use.

I tested the ‘Mario and Friends’ variant of this pad, which has a colorful Super Mario-inspired pattern. The print is high quality, and the colors are pleasant, which definitely gives this controller some edge over Nintendo’s comparatively boring Switch 2 Pro Controller in terms of looks. There is also a cute Kirby design available, or a more subdued Pokémon one. The controller is also offered in plain black if you prefer.

On the back of the pad are the two programmable rear inputs and a dedicated programming button. Unlike the Nintendo Switch 2 Pro Controller, where everything is remapped through software, this pad requires a bit of fiddling with the programming button in order to get your desired bindings set up. The process is quick and intuitive, though, so it’s hard to dock PowerA any points for it.

The company does lose marks for its choice of plastics, though, which are noticeably lower quality than those found on Nintendo’s first-party hardware. The whole controller has an almost brittle feel to it, and I don’t think it would fare well if it were dropped on a hard floor, even from a modest height.

The huge visible screw holes on the back of the controller also don’t do it any favors, lending it a very cheap appearance from behind

PowerA Advantage Wireless Controller for Nintendo Switch 2: Performance

• Uncomfortable thumbsticks
• Shallow triggers
• Otherwise fairly solid

The best thing I can say about the PowerA Advantage Wireless Controller for Nintendo Switch 2 is that it does at least function, and is still suitable for casual players or as a spare in multiplayer environments. It’s not very pleasant to use, though, thanks to a few major flaws.

Firstly, while the thumbsticks here do contain Hall effect sensors, which is good for longevity, they’re made of a hard plastic and have an abrasive texture around their tips that becomes uncomfortable for the thumbs over extended play sessions.

The controller’s triggers are also very shallow but simultaneously rather spongy and thus almost impressively unsatisfying to pull. The D-pad is pretty bad too, with a similarly spongy feel and a very flat, broad shape that makes precise inputs difficult. This is definitely not a controller that you would want to dive into a shooter or retro platformer with.

As is common with third-party Nintendo Switch 2 controllers, you also don’t get support for HD rumble or amiibo. The PowerA Advantage Wireless Controller for Nintendo Switch 2 does gain points for its motion control support, however, and I found it more than accurate enough for pointer controls in games like Super Mario Galaxy 2.

The battery life is another strong suit. PowerA claims that you can achieve up to 30 hours per charge, and I found this figure to be accurate. It’s a bit less than the staggering 40 hours offered by the Nintendo Switch 2 Pro Controller, but still among the best in the third-party scene.

Once you get used to the positioning of the Start and Select buttons, the rest of the pad is perfectly solid to use. The buttons feel decent and all work as intended, and I never experienced any issues with connectivity or pairing.

Should I buy the PowerA Advantage Wireless Controller for Nintendo Switch 2?

Buy it if…

Don’t buy it if…

Also consider...

Not pleased by what the PowerA Advantage Wireless Controller for Nintendo Switch 2 brings to the table? Here are two more premium alternatives worth weighing up.

How I tested the PowerA Advantage Wireless Controller for Nintendo Switch 2

• Tested for more than two weeks
• Tried with a wide range of games
• Compared to a range of other controllers

I tested the PowerA Advantage Wireless Controller for Nintendo Switch 2 for a period of two and a half weeks. During that time, I tested a wide range of Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2 games, such as Mario Kart World, Super Mario Galaxy 2, Cyberpunk 2077: Ultimate Edition, Hitman World of Assassination – Signature Edition, and more.

I frequently compared my experience to my hands-on testing of other Nintendo Switch 2 peripherals, including PowerA’s own PowerA Advantage Switch 2 Wired Controller and the Nintendo Switch 2 Pro Controller.

Read more about how we test

First reviewed January 2026

Good morning! Let's play Connections, the NYT's clever word game that challenges you to group answers in various categories. It can be tough, so read on if you need Connections hints.

What should you do once you've finished? Why, play some more word games of course. I've also got daily Strands hints and answers and Quordle hints and answers articles if you need help for those too, while Marc's Wordle today page covers the original viral word game.

SPOILER WARNING: Information about NYT Connections today is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers.

NYT Connections today (game #959) - today's words

Today's NYT Connections words are…

• SUB
• RIBBON
• HOOD
• SHIP
• SHELL
• COVER
• MENU
• TUBE
• ENTER
• BOWTIE
• FILL IN
• WINDOWS
• DOM
• ALT
• TEMP
• ATE

NYT Connections today (game #959) - hint #1 - group hints

What are some clues for today's NYT Connections groups?

• YELLOW: Second choice
• GREEN: Computer shortcuts
• BLUE: Different types of Italian staple
• PURPLE: Commonly added to the ends of words

Need more clues?

We're firmly in spoiler territory now, but read on if you want to know what the four theme answers are for today's NYT Connections puzzles…

NYT Connections today (game #959) - hint #2 - group answers

What are the answers for today's NYT Connections groups?

• YELLOW: ACT AS A BACKUP
• GREEN: PC KEYBOARD KEYS
• BLUE: PASTA SHAPES
• PURPLE: SUFFIXES

Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.

NYT Connections today (game #959) - the answers

The answers to today's Connections, game #959, are…

• YELLOW: ACT AS A BACKUP COVER, FILL IN, SUB, TEMP
• GREEN: PC KEYBOARD KEYS ALT, ENTER, MENU, WINDOWS
• BLUE: PASTA SHAPES BOWTIE, RIBBON, SHELL, TUBE
• PURPLE: SUFFIXES ATE, DOM, HOOD, SHIP

• My rating: Hard
• My score: 1 mistake

Did you know that the different PASTA SHAPES are designed for different kinds of sauces. For instance, the BOWTIE (or farfalle, which is Italian for butterfly) is designed for creamy sauces.

Anyway, I digress. Before I realized we were looking for PC KEYBOARD KEYS I inserted ALT – as in an alternative – into the group that became ACT AS A BACK UP instead of FILL IN. Had we had a tile that said “substitute” instead of SUB I think I would have made it through mistake-free.

As a lifelong Mac user, PC Keyboards could include a key featuring an icon of a paper clip or indeed a SHIP for all I know, but I am more than well aware that Microsoft loves colonising the world with as many WINDOWS as possible.

Yesterday's NYT Connections answers (Saturday, January 24, game #958)

• BLUE: KINDS OF NECKLINES BOAT, CREW, HALTER, SCOOP
• YELLOW: GEAR FOR A BOXER GLOVES, MOUTHGUARD, ROBE, SHORTS
• GREEN: CHAMPIONSHIP AWARD, CROWN, CUP, TITLE
• PURPLE: SNOW ___ CONE, GLOBE, LEOPARD, PEA

One of my first and most enduring Xbox memories was waiting for the original Fable; with the promise of a game with a world you could shape through your actions and decisions.

While the options to influence story outcomes via decisions and morality systems was nothing new, as there were plenty of CRPGs with similar systems – Baldur’s Gate 2 stands out to me as one notable example – the idea of a somewhat open world with such decision making in, for the time, attractive 3D graphics, was tantalising. I remember Lionhead boss Peter Molyneux touting how you could plant a tree in the game and, as the years passed, watch it grow.

However, when it was released in 2004, Fable lacked a lot of the dynamic features promised. Still it was far from a bad game: it had a whiff of 3D Zelda with open areas to explore and secrets to uncover, yet also mixed in some systemic elements – for example, people would react to what you did, and if your character ate too much he’d get fat.

I distinctly remember exploiting it all in fun and slightly dark ways. For example, playing as a renowned hero you could flirt with all manner of people in various villages and towns, to the extent you could ask them to follow you. I used this to lure people outside of their respective homes and villages and then murder them without alerting the guards. This would then mean their property would be put up for sale, which I’d then buy and rent out; from this I built up a real estate empire across a slice of Albion.

Other times, simply for fun and chaos, I’d buy a load of beers from a local tavern and use an emote system to give them to other punters, often ending up turning most of the village of Oakwood into staggering drunks.

All this was wrapped up in a fairy tale setting and story, rather than more traditional fantasy fare. With a big helping of very British humor on top, it made for a fresh and wonderful game back two decades ago, and I think it’s still worth playing today.

In the decades since Fable, we’ve seen some incredible games with fantastic systems and far more expansive worlds. With Breath of the Wild, Skyrim, and Red Dead Redemption 2 being just a few I could name, it perhaps leaves Fable and its sequels feeling a more basic and constrained when viewed through a modern lens.

Grounds for a reboot

But this is where Playground Games comes in. Rather than go for a sequel, this Fable is effectively a reboot, using different characters and a new story centred around being a hero.

Seeing a Fable rendered in what looks to be cutting-edge graphics and set in a proper open world – something Playground Games is adept at giving us in its Forza Horizon games – is amazing. Spotting hobbes and balverines, and heroes kicking chickens in the deep-dive video, takes me back to a time when life was a lot simpler.

However, the really exciting thing is it looks like Playground Games has the technology to actually bring to fruition the dynamism Molyneux touted for the original game.

Not only does it look like the ability to mess with villagers and townspeople is back, including a romance system and deeper insight into how they perceive you, there’s what Playground Games is calling the “Living Population” where there’s more than 1,000 unique characters with their own routines and personality; in the original Fable, such people had day-night routines, but it was somewhat rudimentary, as was the romance system.

It’s also looking like the morality system will be a lot less binary and more subjective, which should interact interestingly with the living population.

All this is very intriguing and exciting to me; while we’ve seen plenty of gorgeous open-world games – recently the likes of Starfield and Avowed – they arguably lack the depth needed to make interacting with the world engaging.

I also like the look of the combat system. It seems like it will have the straightforward approachability of the other Fable games but likely more depth for advanced players; I’m not expecting a Dark Souls or Elden Rin level of skill required, but more nuance and tools at a hero’s disposal is certainly attractive.

It’s probably safe to say the past 12 months hasn’t been a slam dunk for Xbox, with layoffs and game cancellations. Keeper gave a solid dose of creativity out of the Microsoft-owned Double Fine, but beyond that the brand hasn’t exactly galvanised the industry. But if Playground Games can nail this Fable reboot, I think it could be a fresh trailblazer for Xbox Game Studios. And the fact it's coming out on PS5 too, could bring Fable to a whole new audience.

So I’m crossing my fingers and toes that Fable finally lives up to its promise come this Fall, as it’ll be nice to have something else other than Grand Theft Auto 6 to get me through the darker, colder months.

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Highguard, the PvP raid shooter created by former Apex Legends and Titanfall developers, is still alive and kicking as its PS5 trophy list appears online.

The game was announced as The Game Awards' traditional 'one last thing' last month, closing out the ceremony with a gameplay trailer and a release date scheduled for January 26, 2026.

Strangely, developer Wildlight Entertainment has been quiet ever since, offering no new details about the upcoming PvP raid shooter, not even a social media post teasing what's to come.

With three days out from launch, it appears the game hasn't been delayed like some expected, and the game's Steam page has been updated (via Eurogamer), showing signs of life.

Now the game's PS5 trophy list has cropped up online, as spotted by Exophase (via Gematsu), and features 33 achievements.

They range from easily attainable bronze trophies, like "Complete the Tutorial" and "Complete a Raid Mode match," to more challenging gold trophies that require players to "Win a Raid Mode match in under 12 minutes with at least one member of your team never dying."

The Platinum trophy, named 'Pendragon', is also listed and reads, "So... the legends are true. These mythic tales of old are more than just words." No idea what that means.

Aside from its debut trailer at The Game Awards, we haven't seen much of the game, but according to a report from Forbes, Highguard did not have to pay for the coveted final announcement spot during the ceremony, which is usually reserved for big hitters.

According to two sources, showrunner Geoff Keighley just really liked the game and offered it to Wildlight.

When the game drops in three days, you'll be able to play it on PC, PS5, Xbox Series X, and Xbox Series S.

Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our expert news, reviews, and opinion in your feeds. Make sure to click the Follow button!

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Every console comes bundled with a copy of the fantastic Astro's Playroom right out of the box but, as good as it is, it's quite a short experience and you'll soon find yourself scrambling for more to play.

I've owned a PS5 since launch and always endeavor to keep at least a few free games on my system at any given time. They're great to dip into from time to time, and can be a great choice if you're eager to try something new without breaking the bank.

With that said, here are the games that I've been spending hours with and have loaded up on my personal right now.

1. Call of Duty: Warzone

Believe it or not, I've never been much of a Warzone fan despite loving the Call of Duty series. Something about the massive maps in this free-to-play battle royale spinoff just made it seem so slow paced and, frankly, a little boring to me - especially compared to your average frantic match of free-for-all in Black Ops 7.

Then there's the skill ceiling. Although I like to think of myself as a skill CoD player, the sheer range of most engagements had me dying time and time again against players that had the best gear and thousands of hours of experience.

That's all changed with the recent arrival of Haven's Hollow, though, the latest map for its Resurgence mode. What is Resurgence, I hear you ask? It's basically battle royale with all the boring bits cut out.

It takes place on quite small maps that are filled with high-end loot. You don't really have to scavenge to build a good loadout here, and engagements with enemy teams are constant. There are even respawns too, automatically bringing you back for revenge if the rest of your team is still alive.

The new environment itself, a quaint American town, is fantastic to explore too and even has some cool easter eggs. My pro tip would be to try and land right in its waterfall - there's actually a hidden cavern that's only accessible at the start of the match filled with good gear.

I've been playing non-stop for weeks now, and I'd highly recommend jumping in - especially if other battle royale games haven't clicked for you.

2. Delta Force

Forget Battlefield 6 and hop on Delta Force. This free-to-play shooter from Chinese gaming giant Tencent (the makers of Call of Duty: Mobile) definitely takes liberal inspiration from EA's flagship FPS but that doesn't mean that it's not a lot of fun.

Teams of 32 players face off on massive maps that blend land combat with intense confrontations between sea and air vehicles. The shooting is snappy and the environments offer a decent level of destructibility, which you can exploit to gain a tactical advantage.

This game has it all, including extensive customization for your gear and vehicles (with no real pay-to-win that I've noticed so far) and a dedicated extraction shooter mode that plays almost exactly like the famous Escape from Tarkov.

There's even a single-player campaign based on the movie Black Hawk Down. It gets the job done for sure, but this is definitely the weakest part of the package with some poor balancing that makes it a slog to play for more than an hour or two.

3. Where Winds Meet

Massive open-world action RPG Where Winds Meet might be the ultimate virtual world. There is a ridiculous amount of content to discover here, ranging from magical martial arts combat to larger-than-life parkour.

The story is inspired by Chinese Wuxia cinema and tells an epic tale of a young sword master with a mysterious past. Cutscenes are lavishly animated and seriously stylish, so much so that it's easy to overlook the fact that you have no idea what's going on at basically any time.

There are so many things to do in the game that it's honestly hard to list. I've learned powerful moves from wild animals, beaten random villagers at chess, tried my hand at fishing, learned a musical instrument, and even built my own house.

Apparently you can even go to prison if you attack friendly NPCs, but I'm a little too shy to try that.

There are no pay-to-win elements, with paid content relegated to cosmetics (that I honestly don't even think look all that snazzy in the first place) resulting in a gigantic experience that you can occupy you for hundreds of hours without dropping a single cent.

4. Zenless Zone Zero

Out of all the games by mobile giant HoYoverse, it's Zenless Zone Zero that I keep coming back to.

Billed as an urban fantasy RPG, it's got a great little story (that's still receiving new chapters every few months) and a raft of memorable characters.

It is a stunning game, particularly on PS5, with a high-quality anime art direction that blends clean and fluid animations with delightful cel-shaded colors.

The bulk of your time in the game is spent either in combat, which is a bombastically stylish experience similar to something like Devil May Cry 5, or exploring the open-world areas of New Eridu. Cutscenes are great, but there are some convenient features (like automatic plot summaries) designed to help you if you would rather just focus on the fighting.

This is a gacha game, with a pull system to unlock new characters, but it's quite generous and there are plenty of free events to reward frequent players.

5. Fortnite

How much do I really need to say about Fortnite? This battle royale took the world by storm and has only gone from strength to strength in recent years, growing into a massive gaming platform that contains multiple spinoffs.

The battle royale mode is still the big one, but you also shouldn't sleep on Fortnite Festival: an entire rhythm game in the style of Guitar Hero with loads of songs to try. Fans of Minecraft should get a kick out of Lego Fortnite - which is a crafting survival game set in a bricky world inspired by the popular building toy.

There's also a whole racing game in Rocket Racing, not to mention a tense tactical FPS with Ballistic. If this sounds a tad overwhelming, it's because it really is. Still, if you take the time to learn the ins and outs of each distinct mode, you'll inevitably find one that you enjoy.

They all share elements of cross-progression too, so you can often use your unlocks from one in another.

6. The Sims 4

The Sims 4 used to be a paid game, but developer Maxis made it free back in 2022.

Sure, there are a lot of downloadable content (DLC) add-ons to buy if you wish - but the core experience is still plenty of fun without them and a must-have given the low cost of well, nothing (except your storage space, I suppose).

It's a wacky life simulator that focuses on creating your own virtual characters, the titular Sims, and living out their stories as you see fit. You can get a good job, build a cool house in the amazing build mode creator, master loads of skills like cooking or public speaking, romance other Sims, or just mess around making enemies out of everyone you come across.

The possibilities are practically endless and the very approachable controls make The Sims 4 a good pick for more casual players despite the level of depth.

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Devon Pritchard has just made her first official public appearance since taking up the role of Nintendo of America's new president earlier this month.

During the 15th Annual New York Game Awards, former Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aimé and New York Times columnist Harold Goldberg introduced Pritchard via a pre-recorded video to celebrate the ceremony and the Playing With Purpose nonprofit writing program.

"Hi everyone, it is great to be here. My name is Devon, and before anything else, I want to celebrate the New York Game Awards. 15 years of supporting the games industry and in doing so lifting up the voices, stories, and dreams of so many," Pritchard said.

"This show connects people who are united by a shared belief that every dream matters, and that everyone deserves a chance to do meaningful and creative work in games and storytelling. The 'Playing With Purpose' programme supports the creators, the coders, the writers, and anyone else dreaming big to join this community and bring all that makes them unique.

"I'm excited to meet you! To hear those stories and to learn from your journeys. And remember, like any good video game character, you're on an adventure, and every step you take matters. There's some gnarly bosses, sure, but also many good friends along the way who will support you, and powerful rewards for those who persevere.

"So keep believing, keep playing, and know that you truly belong in this game."

Pritchard's message at the awards show marked the occasion as her first public appearance since taking over Doug Bowser's role of President and COO of Nintendo of America on January 1, who stepped down at the end of 2025.

But who is Devon Pritchard? The industry veteran has been with Nintendo for 20 years, having joined Nintendo of America in 2006 as the head of its legal department.

Afterward, she went on to lead the company's business affairs and public relations sector, before landing the role of Nintendo of America Vice President of Revenue, Marketing, and Consumer Experience in 2021.

When Bowser announced his departure in late 2025, he praised Pritchard's history with the company, writing in a statement that "It's time for the next generation of leadership and Devon's track record speaks for itself."

"She is an exceptional leader, and her promotion is a testament to her strong performance and strategic contributions to the company’s growth. I have full confidence that she will guide the company to even greater heights," Boswer said.

Alongside her new leadership position, Pritchard has also joined Nintendo of America's board of directors and is now an NCL (Nintendo Company Lt) executive officer.

Pritchard will be heading up Nintendo of America following the company's launch of the Switch 2 and will now oversee the current-generation and its future.

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Even as a fresh remote play-focused handheld in late 2023, I was fully in on the device, and I couldn’t wait to test, review, and fully adopt the Portal and make it part of my setup.

That’s still the case today, and I simply couldn’t be without it, especially given that my main platform is PlayStation 5 (by a long way), and the handheld’s DualSense shape and ergonomic design are perfect for my different hands (more context on that both when I saw the PlayStation Access controller, and then reviewed it).

However, in the more than two years I’ve had it, I’ve never stopped thinking about how it could be improved and refined even more to offer an even better remote-play and cloud-streaming experience. Plus, after I recently wrote about the super-slow charging of the PlayStation Portal over an extended holiday, I really got thinking about what I’d want to see in a new version of the accessory.

So, I present you with my wishlist for a PlayStation Portal 2, for lack of a better term. This wishlist keeps the remote-play and growing cloud-streaming abilities at the core of a next-gen Portal – we’re not jumping into native-playing handheld games-console territory – and highlights a few things that I think could really enhance it.

Do you agree with these? What would you like to see in a second PlayStation Portal? Let me know in the comments!

Up the power with a new battery and fast charging

After dealing with the limitations of the Portal’s current charging times and battery capacity over the holidays at the end of last year, this had to be the first thing on my list.

I think you could probably get away with a similar-capacity battery in a new model, but it simply has to have faster charging to enable folks like me to know that their Portal is going to be all juiced up and ready to go in super-quick time, rather than having to plan extended charging sessions.

However, having said that, it's probably safe to assume – and hope – that with one comes the other, so a bigger battery would certainly be welcome too. While I always seem to have enough for my play sessions, raising the ceiling further would only be a good thing. Plus, there are some other things on this list that will increase the demand on the battery, so it’ll be sensible in that regard, too.

A new screen to make games shine

An enhanced screen is something the Portal community always shouts about when talk of a new model comes around.

I’ll refrain from just flat-out demanding an OLED screen here – the demand on the battery could be massive, even if the battery got a boost too – but even something akin to the Switch 2’s Vivid LCD would be welcome.

Nintendo’s upgraded handheld screen has shown that 1080p handhelds in modern times don’t have to jump straight to OLED panels to see an upgrade. And that upgrade is tangible in more than one way: games look nicer for sure, with better picture quality, richer colors, and nicer contrasts, but it also has a higher refresh rate, allowing for higher frame rates.

Bring in Bluetooth audio

Another of the community’s most-requested features in any future updates to this model or a new Portal is the inclusion of Bluetooth pairing for headphones or earbuds.

Part of me can kind of see why Sony wanted to limit the wireless connections to its own proprietary PlayStation Link, but the other part of me still feels that decision is a bit mean, and basically unnecessary – let the people use their own audio solutions, which would likely include many Sony and PlayStation products too.

With folks already shelling out for the Portal itself – and maybe even the top-tier of PS Plus on top of that – it feels a bit stingy to close off the audio possibilities. Fans have sort of found ways around this anyway with third-party Bluetooth adapters – though I much prefer to use my Pulse Explore earbuds with the Portal – but official support for Bluetooth would be a huge plus for a future Portal 2 in my view.

Whip up more Wi-Fi

With so much of the Portal’s functionality at the mercy of external internet and connection factors, it seems sensible for a new model to put the very best option possible onboard. This would ensure that any Portal 2 is best equipped within itself to offer the strongest and most stable internet connection, no matter how close to Sony’s minimum your internet connection might be externally.

Thus, boosting the current Portal’s onboard Wi-Fi 5 hardware to at least Wi-Fi 6, but preferably Wi-Fi 7, on any newer model would make for a welcome upgrade.

Insert some more intuitive controls

The biggest improvement I’d like to see on the button and input front is a better replacement for the DualSense touchpad. To be frank, I’ve never had a huge problem with double-tapping the Portal’s touchscreen, but it still doesn’t feel elegant or work 100% of the time.

A neatly placed dedicated button, which may even have some touch-sensitive tech like the Apple iPhone camera button, and which can be used for things like swiping up on the touchpad, would be excellent. To my eye, there’s space on the Portal as it stands for something like that – but then again, I don’t design these things…

Elsewhere, I’d enjoy seeing a rethink of the power, volume, and PS Link buttons on the top of the current Portal. They function fine, but it would be great if they were easier to reach and nicer to interact with.

In fact, while I’m wishing for things, adding microswitch buttons to every appropriate face button and shoulder button, and upgrading the thumbsticks with Hall Effect or the newer Tunneling Magnetoresistance (TMR) tech, as we see on some premium PS5 controllers, would be some serious icing on this cake. Though I wouldn't hold my breath on this, given we don't see this on any of Sony's own DualSense controllers.

More seamless menu integrations

A bit more to do with software than hardware here, and while the update at the end of 2024 did give the menus and interface a welcome overhaul, there’s something not quite right about the current integration of certain PS5 features and notifications on the Portal right now, especially when cloud-streaming games.

Trophies are a good example of this, as when I earn one while cloud streaming, all I see is a ‘Silver trophy earned!’ notification, rather than the usual graphic and description combo we all know and love. This feels like it needs refining.

It would also be great if we got a rejig of functions like party settings and other such core controls, so that they were ‘closer to hand’ in both modes, making it easier to change settings when streaming, without having to go back into the PS5’s open settings when remote playing.

Give me some official accessories

Another one that’s less hardware or onboard software-related, but there’s definitely an opportunity with a new Portal for Sony to embrace the opportunity to fully adorn it with official accessories and goodies.

The obvious candidates are official screen protectors and carry cases, made to precise measurements and exacting standards to ensure protection for your Portal when you’re taking it out and about – but also with enough storage room for the companion earbuds, of course.

I’d also extend this to official grips and thumbstick covers, too - which I'm a huge fan of using elsewhere - given that the Portal, while based on a DualSense, doesn’t have exactly the same measurements and details to make accessories interchangeable. As someone who benefits from these greatly, official items like them are something I’d be all over.

Bring cloud streaming to more PS Plus tiers

Again, this isn’t something that’s strictly tied to the device itself, but opening up the cloud streaming ability to a vast number of players would be a heck of a way to launch a new Portal, wouldn’t it?

I’d love to see the numbers of members on each level of subscription, but I’m guessing that Premium may have the smallest membership, and despite folks paying more for the top tier for the pleasure of cloud streaming, if Sony opened this feature up to even the Extra tier, there would be huge numbers of folks adopting the Portal, I’d wager.

As an extension of this, if the ability to stream my own games could be extended at the same time to include literally all of my own games, that would be fantastic too.

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If you're thinking about diving back into The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt ahead of The Witcher 4, someone has released a multiplayer mod that may tide you over.

Titled 'Witcher Online', the mod was created by 'rejuvenate8' and is now available to download for free on Nexus Mods, and allows players to join multiplayer sessions with friends and travel the Continent together.

Players can join or create servers to play with friends, complete quests, and explore the world in parties, seemingly, of up to five members.

What's better than one Geralt? Two? Make that five. But you don't have to play just as the titular witcher. Players can also customize their character using another mod - Custom Player Characters- and play the game as Yennefer or even Ciri.

"Chat with strangers and perform emotes to roleplay with other players. Experience the incredible story of Geralt and Ciri from start to finish on your journey throughout the world of the Witcher. The focus of this mod is to allow you to see other players on their adventure exploring throughout the world," the modder writes.

To use the mod, players must have a non-pirated copy of the latest, current-gen version of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt.

A trailer for the Witcher Online mod has been released, and while it does appear to be quite buggy, with some players being sucked up into the sky, it's something I can't resist checking out.

If the rumors about that new Witcher 3 expansion prove to be true, I'll be doing yet another playthrough either way.

Reports of a new The Witcher 3 expansion have been circulating since last year, but CD Projekt recently hinted that "new content" for an existing game will be released this year.

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Indie studio Sedleo and publisher Dear Villagers have announced that their medieval action-adventure game 1348: Ex Voto will launch on March 12, 2026, for PC and PS5.

The announcement arrived alongside a gorgeous story trailer that offered a first look at some brutal third-person combat, as well as the game's protagonist, Aeta, a female knight-errant.

The Standard Edition will cost $23.99 / £21.99 and $29.99 / £25.99 for the Deluxe Edition, which includes a digital artbook. However, the Xbox version that was previously announced has been canceled "in order to focus the studio's efforts on delivering the best experience for PC and PlayStation."

The story follows Aeta, played by Alby Baldwin, on a quest to save her closest companion, Bianca, played by Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 and Baldur's Gate 3's Jennifer English, in medieval 14th-century Italy.

"Created by a team of seasoned indie developers, the game will see Aeta, a young knight-errant, encounter a series of trials on her path to knighthood and ultimate goal of saving Bianca. Along the way, she will face fanatical zealots, roaming bandits, and battle-hardened mercenaries - all against the backdrop of a virulent plague that threatens to tear apart an already fragile society," the game description reads.

Two of the core aspects of 1348: Ex Voto are combat and exploration. Sedleo said it has worked with industry experts to craft a combat system inspired by Historical European Martial Arts (HEMA) set against a recreation of the rural beauty of 14th-century Italy.

The trailer showcases green hills and mountain trails, suggesting a linear open-world, environmental puzzle-solving, and third-person sword combat.

1348's art style, story, and exploration evoke the same style as A Plague Innocence, and even Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice, and I'm curious how the game's "personal" themes will play out.

"Everything in our story is personal: it's about moralities, ambitions, and choices," said game director Tom Oceano and executive producer Fabiola Martelli in a press release. "Who we aspire to be and who we are allowed to become. Whether our means to fight for it or against it justify our end. We hope those themes will resonate with 1348 Ex Voto players."

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Good morning! Let's play Connections, the NYT's clever word game that challenges you to group answers in various categories. It can be tough, so read on if you need Connections hints.

What should you do once you've finished? Why, play some more word games of course. I've also got daily Strands hints and answers and Quordle hints and answers articles if you need help for those too, while Marc's Wordle today page covers the original viral word game.

SPOILER WARNING: Information about NYT Connections today is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers.

NYT Connections today (game #958) - today's words

Today's NYT Connections words are…

• ROBE
• CONE
• CROWN
• HALTER
• PEA
• SCOOP
• BOAT
• CUP
• GLOBE
• GLOVES
• CREW
• MOUTHGUARD
• TITLE
• SHORTS
• LEOPARD
• AWARD

NYT Connections today (game #958) - hint #1 - group hints

What are some clues for today's NYT Connections groups?

• BLUE: T-shirt styles
• YELLOW: As worn by a pugilist
• GREEN: Given to the winners
• PURPLE: Preceded by a cold word

Need more clues?

We're firmly in spoiler territory now, but read on if you want to know what the four theme answers are for today's NYT Connections puzzles…

NYT Connections today (game #958) - hint #2 - group answers

What are the answers for today's NYT Connections groups?

• BLUE: KINDS OF NECKLINES
• YELLOW: GEAR FOR A BOXER
• GREEN: CHAMPIONSHIP
• PURPLE: SNOW ___

Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.

NYT Connections today (game #958) - the answers

The answers to today's Connections, game #958, are…

• BLUE: KINDS OF NECKLINES BOAT, CREW, HALTER, SCOOP
• YELLOW: GEAR FOR A BOXER GLOVES, MOUTHGUARD, ROBE, SHORTS
• GREEN: CHAMPIONSHIP AWARD, CROWN, CUP, TITLE
• PURPLE: SNOW ___ CONE, GLOBE, LEOPARD, PEA

• My rating: Easy
• My score: Perfect

After a mistake-ridden week I’ve managed to start the weekend with a perfect game. 

To be honest, this was a particularly easy game, with only the purple group posing a challenge.

That said, I did very briefly entertain the idea that CUP, SCOOP and CONE were all types of container for ice-cream – a case where not finding a possible fourth tile saved the day.

Yesterday's NYT Connections answers (Friday, January 23, game #957)

• YELLOW: FACIAL FEATURES CHEEK, EYE, LIP, TEMPLE
• GREEN: KINDS OF PARKING GARAGE, METER, STREET, VALET
• BLUE: IMPERIAL UNITS ACRE, BUSHEL, FOOT, STONE
• PURPLE: WORDS BEFORE "LIGHT" FLOOD, LIME, PILOT, TRAFFIC

Pokémon studio Game Freak is more focused on delivering a good gameplay experience than graphical fidelity in its upcoming action-adventure game, Beast of Reincarnation.

Beast of Reincarnation, in practically every way, is a far cry from the games Game Freak is known for. We've got fast-paced combat, a wolf companion that can use skills via a command system, a story set in post-apocalyptic Japan, and challenging boss fights.

It's clearly Game Freak's most ambitious game yet, but game director Kota Furushima has said the studio isn't looking to make a game "of a certain level of quality", but one that delivers an experience that will stick with players.

"I think when it comes to Beast of Reincarnation, and I guess we would regard it as the scale and the ambition of the title, when we approach game design, we're not looking to make, say, a title of a certain level of quality," Furushima said in an interview with with IGN following the Xbox Developer Direct, where we were treated to a fresh gameplay trailer.

The director's comments come in response to a question about concerns players may have about the game, following criticism the studio has received for the performance of its previous Pokémon games.

Furushima explained that optimization will be important, but Game Freak's priority is the overall gameplay experience.

"We're looking to deliver a very specific game experience, and visual fidelity and graphics, this is something that supports that game experience, everything that goes into that," he said. "That includes things like bug fixing, optimization. Everything is there to serve the gameplay and the experience.

"Our focus is on that gameplay experience. Part of that, of course, is making sure that it performs really well, but our attention is more on getting the experience over to you and making sure that our vision can get to your hands and your hearts."

Beasts of Reincarnation is set to launch this summer for PC, PS5, Xbox Series X, and Xbox Series S.

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CD Projekt Red's next instalment in The Witcher franchise is one that is highly anticipated, with The Witcher 4 seemingly set on heavily improving upon its predecessor's RPG elements and realism – and it looks like the developer may be following in the footsteps of Rockstar Games with GTA 6.

And by that I mean there's apparently a giant budget backing the RPG. As reported by TweakTown, a Polish analyst, Mateusz Chrzanowski, claims that The Witcher 4 will cost CD Projekt Red around $800 million, with supposedly $390 million spent on the game's development – and the same amount on marketing. This is a rough estimation based on the conversion of PLN 1.4 billion to dollars.

This latest rumor comes from the same source who recently suggested that CD Projekt Red will be releasing a new DLC expansion for The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt in May 2026. While there's no clarification on that just yet, it's worth noting that CD Projekt Red is rumored to be working on multiple projects, so it's not a far-fetched assertion.

It's a bigger leap to believe the claim regarding the size of the budget here, though. A spend of around $800 million for The Witcher 4 would place the title within the same ballpark as top games such as GTA 6, which going by speculation has racked up costs of up to $2 billion in its production.

Still, it is true that major releases like these have big expectations behind them (especially GTA 6), and obviously that will come with quite a price in terms of production and marketing.

A majority of triple-A modern games have massive budgets behind them, and one notable example is Insomniac's Marvel's Spider-Man 2, which reportedly had a budget of $315 million.

This is a trend that has been ongoing for the past few years, and it's showing no signs of slowing down whatsoever.

Analysis: big budgets for games aren't always justified

Big budgets don't always mean big successes in the games industry.

Take, for example, the case of Concord from Firewalk Studios (admittedly not a single-player game, but certainly an eye-opening affair in terms of being a high-profile failure). This reportedly cost $400 million to make, and in case you didn't know, Concord was a massive failure that resulted in a shutdown two weeks after its launch, and the closure of the developer responsible.

This is just one of many examples of massive budgets going to waste, and while I doubt this will happen with CD Projekt Red's The Witcher 4, I still have some concerns – especially after Cyberpunk 2077's disastrous launch.

About the only developer I've seen consistently back up its production costs is Rockstar Games, with critically acclaimed launches like Red Dead Redemption 2 and, of course, GTA 5.

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Playground Games just showed off Forza Horizon 6 for the first time during the January 22 Xbox Developer Direct showcase and it's looking like everything I could've wanted from an open-world racer set in Japan.

Firstly, it turns out that prior leaks were indeed accurate - Forza Horizon 6 is launching on May 19 for Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, and PC. A Premium Edition offers four days' early access, and a PS5 version is coming sometime this year.

As for the flagship car (what you'll see on the box), it's a choice pick. This time, Playground Games has partnered with Toyota Gazoo Racing to present the 2025 GR GT Prototype as the game's cover car.

The Developer Direct showing makes Forza Horizon 6 look very promising, so I've picked out three things I'm particularly excited about with this long-awaited new entry. That said, there have already been concerns about the developer potentially making use of generative AI tools for some in-game artwork.

That'd be heart-breaking if true, because Forza Horizon 6 is otherwise looking like a tremendous return to form after the divisive Forza Horizon 5.

A career reset

One simple change to Forza Horizon 6's career progression makes all the difference for me. In the previous game, Forza Horizon 5, the player is already treated like racing royalty, carrying over our mastery of the festival in Forza Horizon 4. It just felt a bit hollow; we were just there for the laughs, there was no real growth or progression to be had.

Forza Horizon 6 changes this. We're basically back at square one here, in Japan as a tourist and racing enthusiast, eager to join the Horizon Festival to show off our skills. It's a small thing to be sure, but such a refreshing change that places renewed importance on upgrading your festival wristband and participating in big spectacle showcase events.

I just hope that car collection progression will be eased up, too. I've talked before about how much I dislike the series' Wheelspin system. Getting new, expensive cars once every half an hour is a bit much, and makes it really hard to settle into a favorite when you're being handed the keys to new rides so frequently.

EventLab overhaul

Playground Games appears to be making huge improvements to EventLab - its suite of in-game creative tools for the Forza Horizon series. Player houses and garages are now EventLab environments, allowing us to decorate our rooms and display our favorite cars in new and creative ways.

A couple of other improvements I'm really excited about also involve EventLab. The feature can now be accessed anywhere on the map, at any time. Additionally, EventLab can be used in a multiplayer environment, and we can see in the Developer Direct what appears to be real-time editing while another player drives. It looks more seamless and accessible than ever.

The big addition in Forza Horizon 6, though, at least when it comes to EventLab, is the Estate. Essentially a massive blank canvas to start with, this is a dedicated EventLab space that you can build up any way you like. I'm already thinking of setting up a racetrack set around a tiny Japanese village. The possibilities seem excitingly endless here.

Car meets look better than ever

Inspired by Japan's legendary Daikoku Parking Area, a melting pot for car enthusiasts and street racers alike, car meets in Forza Horizon 6 sound like a huge improvement. They're a fully social activity now, with decidedly low stakes.

Players seem to be able to get together in these areas on the map, take in the sights of each others' cars and player characters, challenge one another to races, and even purchase custom rides from one another.

One huge AI concern

There's a lot to be excited about with Forza Horizon 6, then. But there could be one seriously bad apple that spoils the whole bunch.

As reported by Tech4Gamers, Playground Games is being accused of featuring AI-generated art in Forza Horizon 6. Folks on Twitter are pointing at one piece of artwork in particular that features prominently on the side of a building.

The art does bear some of the tell-tale signs of AI-generated imagery. A nonsensical overabundance of small details (in this case awkwardly placed gears the central character is adorned with), and an oversaturated color palette that holds no regard for basic color theory. For my two cents, it doesn't really look like something a professional artist would whip up.

Playground Games is yet to confirm the usage of generative AI in Forza Horizon 6. However, parent company Microsoft has been outspoken in its desire to use the deeply controversial technology.

The thing is, if the art linked above does indeed turn out to be AI-generated, it likely won't be the only instance of it in the game. I want to be excited for Forza Horizon 6; it's truly looking like a brilliant return to form for the series. But it'll be much tougher to be enthusiastic about the game if it is indeed putting reliance on generative AI tools.

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Kiln was one of the biggest surprises of the most recent Xbox Developer Direct showcase.

This wacky brawler hails from the team at Double Fine, the creators of iconic titles like Psychonauts and more recently Keeper, and has players sculpting their own sentient pots before going head to head as them in online battles.

The size and shape of your design determine its combat abilities, which is definitely an interesting mechanic. The brief announcement trailer shows of a range of walking pottery being smashed in a gloriously satisfying manner.

It's set to release later this year for Xbox Series X and Series S, PlayStation 5, and PC. You can sign up for a beta testing program for the chance to try the game early via the official website.

Double Fine die-hards might recognize Kiln as one of the titles featured in the studio's Amnesia Fortnight 2017 - an annual game jam that has its teams creating novel ideas for two weeks that are sometimes shown off to the public.

"Kiln is a multiplayer, team-based brawler by Derek Brand with a focus on creating unique player sculpted characters featuring crazy physics-based animation and destruction," reads the original pitch from 2017.

"Created during the match, extremely diverse character shapes and sizes are possible each exhibiting unique attributes and controls that leverage the possibilities in procedural animation."

It's interesting to see an old idea like this brought to life and I'm sure we'll be learning more about Kiln in the weeks and months ahead.

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Playground Games general manager and Fable game director Ralph Fulton has called the upcoming game an open-world fairy tale rather than a "grand and sweeping" fantasy story that players might be used to.

Following the Xbox Developer Direct on January 22, where Playground Games finally announced that Fable will launch in Fall 2026 for PC, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, and PS5, Fulton divulged a ton of new information about the role-playing game (RPG) in an interview with Xbox Wire.

When asked what the essence of Fable is, Fulton explained that Playground borrowed from the original trilogy created by Lionhead Studios and decided to lean heavily into the series' classic fairy tale style.

"We came up with a bunch of things – the first of which I would say we actually inherited from Lionhead. When we started working on this project, we got a treasure trove of documents from Lionhead that had been in storage," Fulton said.

"Something that I thought was just brilliantly succinct was one of the documents, which said: 'Fable is Fairy tale, not Fantasy' – which is just super neat."

The game director explains that, with Playground's interpretation, "fairytale and fantasy probably exist on opposite ends of a spectrum", suggesting that Fable will deal with smaller "intimate" stories instead of something you'd expect from other grand fantasy tales.

"I think we all know what fantasy is – it’s The Witcher, it’s Skyrim, it’s Lord of the Rings, it’s Game of Thrones. And I think tonally it’s quite grand, it’s sweeping, it’s geopolitical, it’s serious. You know, you can almost picture the color palette of fantasy," he said.

"And then fairy tale exists right at the opposite end of that spectrum. Fairy tales are intimate, they’re small stories about regular people; they’re not grand and sweeping, they’re very personal and whimsical and ultimately, they deal with what happens when magic touches the lives of ordinary folks. And also they have this kind of moral component to them.

"And I think that is a brilliant description of what Fable really is – it runs through our art style, it runs through our world building. We’ve really executed against that fairy tale idea in every part of the game that we’re building."

In Fable, players will be able to explore the land of Albion, an immersive, medieval-like world with choices and consequences, reputation, and fairy tale endings.

From the new trailer, it's clear that Albion will be rich with new discoveries, but Fulton stressed that players will still be able to take their time enjoying the world, despite the game having stakes.

He explained that the events of the game start to unfold after an inciting incident, which he calls the "catalyst" for the story, where the player's grandma and everyone in the village they grew up in is turned to stone by a mysterious stranger.

The player is then left alone and forced to venture out into the world, and it's suggested that you visit Bowerstone, the Heroes’ Guild; however, the game director explained there's nothing "forcing" players to go along that path first.

"So there’s a soft implication that you should head for the Heroes’ Guild, and maybe there’s help that they can give you," Fulton said.

"But the nature of our game is that as soon as you leave your village, you can go pretty much anywhere. It’s truly open world, so the world is yours to explore. And we’ve written the story so that although there are stakes – your grandmother, your village – there’s no ticking bomb.

"There’s nothing forcing you along the path, because we want to allow the player the permission to just go and do something else in the game. You could go to the most northerly village in Albion, get a job, settle down and get married if you want. The story will wait for you, which I think is really important with the really rich side activities that Fable games come with."

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It’s now been around seven months since the Switch 2 launched. In that time, eight GameCube games have been added to the service, and we know of three more confirmed for the near-future.

There are some real bangers here; being able to play F-Zero GX, Soul Calibur 2, and Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance on modern hardware is a treat. Meanwhile, Treasure’s Wario World was a huge surprise addition, and one not initially confirmed when the GameCube Classics collection was announced way back in April of last year.

I do worry about the future of the collection, though. The remainder of the current roster consists of fairly safe picks, such as The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, Super Mario Strikers, and Luigi’s Mansion. These, along with the upcoming addition of Super Mario Sunshine, are all well and good and, as some of the console’s MVPs, you’d expect them on a service such as this, but the GameCube was so much more than that.

A solid start

Don’t worry, I’m not about to devolve into a diatribe of: "Where's this beloved GameCube game?” - I’ve done that once before. We’re still early in the Switch 2’s life, after all; I’m not necessarily expecting the GameCube library to be bustling at this point in time. I fully anticipate essential MIAs like Mario Kart: Double Dash and Super Smash Bros. Melee to arrive in due time.

Even so, I just can’t help but feel Nintendo could be a bit more adventurous with its GameCube Classics choices going forward. The GameCube, at least compared to its competition at the time in the form of the PlayStation 2 and Xbox, had a relatively small, curated library of titles; around 600-650, depending on the source (with MobyGames listing 630). But there are plenty of diamonds therein.

As it stands, I think the biggest problem with the current GameCube Classics selection is that it isn’t showcasing the sheer variety, ambition, and creativity of the purple brick’s wondrous back catalog. There is so much to work with, and so much room to grow.

When I look back at my time with the ‘Cube, I’ve obviously got fond memories of the big hitters. The killer apps. The showstoppers. That should go without saying. But for me, the real magic of the console could be found in much of its killer third-party support.

Getting real weird with it

The Nintendo-published Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem immediately comes to mind; a truly mind-shattering horror experience that brought sanity mechanics to the mainstream in a way that felt well ahead of its time. For many gamers, the GameCube put revered bullet hell shooter Ikaruga on the map with its 2003 port - a few years after it wowed players in arcades and on the Dreamcast.

Of course, the system was a veritable treasure trove of RPGs, too. Tales of Symphonia, Skies of Arcadia: Legends, and Baten Kaitos - among many others - were many fans’ introduction to the genre. Especially those who may have missed the PlayStation’s Final Fantasy-shaped boat.

One of my favorite things about the GameCube, though, is its variety. It was my introduction to killer7 and a lifelong obsession with Grasshopper Manufacture’s striking creativity. Megaman X: Command Mission is far from the best turn-based RPG I’ve played, but it’s a charming curio in the beloved Capcom franchise. Then there’s Metal Arms: Glitch in the System, a brilliant third-person shooter with a seriously cool destruction model that lets you chop off limbs and weapons of your robotic adversaries.

Long story short, I can’t stress enough that the GameCube has no shortage of unforgettable gems. Many of which remain locked into that sixth generation of hardware without any form of officially-supported modern access.

I know much of what is available to Nintendo - at least on the third-party front - will come down to licensing and how willing publishers are to allow games onto the service.

That said, I don’t think it’s a stretch to say big things are possible from the likes of Capcom, Sega, Bandai Namco, etc. Such publishers already feature their classic games in Nintendo Switch Online’s other retro libraries, including for the Nintendo Entertainment System, Super Nintendo Entertainment System, and, of course, the Sega Mega Drive / Genesis.

It would be a shame for Nintendo to stick so closely to the big hits when the existence of the GameCube Classics library potentially offers an opportunity to introduce contemporary gaming audiences to the wider, weird, and wonderful catalog of games on the console.

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From the get-go, though, I could see this was a different beast, and as I worked my way through the game's rules and my first round against the built-in computer, I wondered about why Crossplay is an app and how The New York Times explains the game's "Scrabble" vibes.

Like Scrabble, the free-to-download Crossplay starts as an empty, in this case, 15x15 grid with only bonus squares visible. Each player starts with seven letter tiles (each letter has a numerical value) that they can use to build words on the board and collect point totals. Similar to Scrabble, you can use letters in a word to build new words, and building on top of bonus squares increases your word scores. Opponents (from your Friends list, people whose abilities you might match, or the computer) take turns and gather points until they've run through all their tiles. There are more details, like the ability to swap tiles and skip turns, but that's the thrust of it. It's fun and, yes, a bit addictive.

To understand Crossplay's origins, development, quirks, and future, I spoke to New York Times Senior Producer Jeff Petriello, a talented guy I coincidentally worked with at Mashable more than a decade ago.

"I'm the producer of, specifically, our new games," Petriello told me, adding that he's responsible for Connections, Strands, Pips, and the new Crossplay. He also revealed that something called "Capture" is currently in beta.

The making of a game

While Petriello isn't coding the games, his responsibilities run far and deep. "My job is to ship the game," he explained, which, in his telling, sounds a bit like herding cats. Petriello keeps an eye on the feature backlog and ensures that the features align with the engineering capabilities. He also works with the product designers.

"I've heard a definition of game producers as designers of alignment, and I really resonate with that," he said.

Crossplay, though, was different. First of all, unlike say Wordle or Strands, it's a standalone app. Wordle and Connections are built basically as Web apps that can be played online or within the container of The New York Times Games app.

Crossplay, on the other hand, "is the first standalone app that The New York Times games team has made outside of The New York Times games app. From a scale perspective, it's way larger than releasing a new puzzle that shows up in the games app," said Petriello.

On the iPhone, where I played, Crossplay is a native iOS app built on Swift, but it's also on Android.

"We had to do a lot of technological work that was sort of unprecedented for us as a team, which was really challenging and exciting," he added.

Sometimes, an app is where it's at

Why did The New York Times choose to build Crossplay as an app? Petriello told me that a 2-player game (there are no plans to add more players at the moment) is, technologically speaking, far more complex than a single-player web-based game. "It has a social graph that needs to be plugged into it," said Petrielo. Plus, Crossplay has a chat feature, "which we don't have at all on the games app."

Crossplay does, though, also live within The New York Times Games App container.

I asked Petriello about the resemblance to Scrabble, and while he didn't directly reference Hasbro's iconic game, he told me, "Crossplay is definitely building on the tradition of classic 2-player word games." He also, though, sees clear differences.

"It is unique in its layout in the way that we distribute the tiles. The bonus squares, for instance, on the game board are distinct, and they were optimized for this sort of digital social play."

Petriello said the asynchronous play is also a differentiator. "You're always playing with 2 players, never more. We really thought about the...environment that you're playing in and tried to optimize."

It is early days for Crossplay, and Petriello expects to learn a lot from the early adopters like me. I told him that when I tried to play against another human player, I kept running into the same opponent, "Kae," who had already maxed out the number of games they could play at once.

"This game is just at the start of its journey, and I hope it grows with our audience, and we can change it in exciting ways in the future," he said.

It's not that the game isn't relatively feature-rich. Petriello revealed a few non-obvious features, like the ability to long-press a word on the board and get a dictionary pop-up, the subscriber-only Crossbot that can give you post-game analysis, and how you can choose different difficulty levels when playing against the computer.

"I always recommend if you're stacked up waiting for folks, play a computer game while you wait... you can get those to be pretty difficult, although we're already seeing feedback from people that the difficult one isn't difficult enough," he told me with a laugh.

As usual, even now, there are already Crossplay experts yearning for more.

One thing that Crossplay doesn't have is the ability to instantly share your results, though, obviously, if you're playing against someone, they already know.

"We kind of want to see how users are looking at sharing their experiences on Crossplay. Definitely an area that I'm like, super interested in seeing," said Petriello, who reminded me that Wordle's share "was a thing invented by the community."

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In a time of drastic change for PC and console hardware, I can only think of a few surprises that would draw interest from gamers, and this modder's DIY console-war ending system is one of them.

A YouTube content creator, Xiao Ningzi (小宁子 XNZ), has created a three-in-one game console featuring a PS5, Xbox Series X, and Nintendo Switch 2, all of which run off a 250W power supply.

Essentially, it's made so that switching between the three systems is easy, since they're all operating within one PS5-like chassis. This is an example of a custom-made console that would quite literally eliminate console wars, as it would provide gamers with, well, everything in one, only excluding what comes with PC gaming.

I also think it goes without saying that a DIY console, as such, will never see the light of day as an official project from the big three of Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo. However, it's quite surreal to see a passion project come to life.

The modification isn't a simple one, though. Combining the motherboards for each system is tough enough, but that also includes designing a new case entirely, an arduous process for anyone outside of a manufacturing warehouse.

Since the Switch 2 is a handheld device, Ningzi ensured it was still easily removable (as you'll see in the video below), and the switch between each system takes no more than five seconds.

The game library available on a mega-console, as such, is arguably greater than what you may find on a gaming PC, in terms of value over quantity, with access to games that may never be officially ported to PC.

Of course, one would still need to buy each console to facilitate this DIY project. The appeal here, though, is the concept of buying a three-in-one console and having all PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo exclusives on one system, but we don't live in a perfect world, so this won't happen.

Analysis: the Steam Machine is the closest system we'll ever get to this

Valve's Steam Machine is slated for launch in early 2026, and consumers are holding their breath on what its potential price tag could be. While we'll certainly never see this Ningtendo PXbox 5 become a reality for most consumers, Valve's upcoming system is the closest we'll ever get to it.

The Steam Machine is a gaming PC after all, but one that is clearly targeting the console gaming market with its mini-PC design. With the thousands of PC indie games available, alongside Xbox titles and PlayStation exclusives, the Steam Machine may be the best platform for console players when it launches.

That also goes without mentioning the emulation capabilities of Nintendo games (which I am in no way advocating) on PC, and that would take the Steam Machine's game library closer to that of this DIY project mega-console. Let's just hope that its price is within an affordable range.

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Gaming chair giant Secretlab has lifted the curtain on an all-new Pokémon collection featuring three special edition chairs.

Each is a branded variant of the superb Secretlab Titan Evo, one of the best gaming chairs and even the best office chairs right now.

There's the Pokémon Pikachu Edition, which comes in the Mon's trademark neon yellow and black, adorned with 11 unique Pikachu graphics.

Those after a cozier setup will surely appreciate the more gentle Pokémon Eevee Edition with its cream and brown gradients. It shows off all eight Eevee evolutions with its distinct side print.

Finally, there's the purple and black Pokémon Gengar Edition, which seems ideal for those with a moodier gaming environment.

According to senior product graphic designer Irene Tee, each of the chairs uses comfortable velour material to "emulate the softness of each Pokémon" while "weaving their most iconic colors into a gradient effect."

"We wanted this chair collection to speak to the inner child in all of us, while still being elevated with craftmanship that would appeal to our now grown-up selves," they added.

All three designs are available now via the Secretlab website.

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Good morning! Let's play Connections, the NYT's clever word game that challenges you to group answers in various categories. It can be tough, so read on if you need Connections hints.

What should you do once you've finished? Why, play some more word games of course. I've also got daily Strands hints and answers and Quordle hints and answers articles if you need help for those too, while Marc's Wordle today page covers the original viral word game.

SPOILER WARNING: Information about NYT Connections today is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers.

NYT Connections today (game #957) - today's words

Today's NYT Connections words are…

• STONE
• TEMPLE
• PILOT
• LIP
• STREET
• CHEEK
• FOOT
• TRAFFIC
• EYE
• ACRE
• FLOOD
• METER
• GARAGE
• LIME
• BUSHEL
• VALET

NYT Connections today (game #957) - hint #1 - group hints

What are some clues for today's NYT Connections groups?

• YELLOW: Take at face value
• GREEN: Legally leave your vehicle
• BLUE: Opposite of metric
• PURPLE: Add with a bright word

Need more clues?

NYT Connections today (game #957) - hint #2 - group answers

What are the answers for today's NYT Connections groups?

• YELLOW: FACIAL FEATURES
• GREEN: KINDS OF PARKING
• BLUE: IMPERIAL UNITS
• PURPLE: WORDS BEFORE "LIGHT"

Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.

NYT Connections today (game #957) - the answers

The answers to today's Connections, game #957, are…

• YELLOW: FACIAL FEATURES CHEEK, EYE, LIP, TEMPLE
• GREEN: KINDS OF PARKING GARAGE, METER, STREET, VALET
• BLUE: IMPERIAL UNITS ACRE, BUSHEL, FOOT, STONE
• PURPLE: WORDS BEFORE "LIGHT" FLOOD, LIME, PILOT, TRAFFIC

• My rating: Easy
• My score: 1 mistake

STONE, TEMPLE and PILOT was today’s in-joke, a nod to the 1990s rock group who shared festival line ups with Nirvana and Pixies back in the day.

They all turned up in separate groups, with PILOT causing my mistake. Correctly identifying the foursome as WORDS BEFORE “LIGHT” I had FLOOD, LIME, and TRAFFIC locked in, but incorrectly thought the fourth was STREET.

IMPERIAL UNITS are something that I live with in the UK thanks to our unique system of toggling between sensible and ridiculous measuring systems without any explanation. Although, to be fair, I don’t think I’ve ever needed a BUSHEL (an amount that’s equivalent to 64 gallons or 35.2 liters) of anything. Custard maybe?

Yesterday's NYT Connections answers (Thursday, January 22, game #956)

• YELLOW: WELL-DEFINED, AS AN IMAGE CLEAR, CRISP, DISTINCT, SHARP
• GREEN: FRUIT DESSERTS COBBLER, CRUMBLE, STRUDEL, TURNOVER
• BLUE: BUNGLE FLUFF, FUMBLE, MISS, TRIP
• PURPLE: MAGAZINES PLUS A LETTER ELLEN, SPINY, TIMER, USE

Developer Battlefield Studios has revealed some of content coming to Battlefield 6 in its second season and beyond, with much of it coming to Battlefield Labs for testing ahead of its official release.

The season will introduce at least one new map, including an all-new environment called 'Contaminated' that the developers compare to fan-favorites like St. Quentin Scar from Battlefield 1 and Arras from Battlefield 5.

In the future it will be joined by a remade version of Golmud Railway from Battlefield 4 that has been "rebuilt for today's Battlefield". It is planned to be the largest Battlefield 6 map yet, which will be good news for those craving bigger combat experiences.

Although I've enjoyed my time with Battlefield 6, it's undeniable that many of the maps thus far feel noticeably smaller scale than many of the classics leaving some members of the series' community disappointed.

Elsewhere, Battlefield Labs players will get to try out a new vehicle, the AH-6 Little Bird, and the "initial testing" of some aircraft and vehicle combat system improvements.

This is on top of improvements to combat consistency aimed at eliminating those awkward moments where a hit you were sure was on target just doesn't quite connect.

The announcement follows the news that Season One had been extended with the addition of some new bonus rewards to "allow extra time to further develop and refine Season 2 as a result of community feedback" and that Season Two is now set to arrive on February 17, 2026.

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Ubisoft is undergoing a large-scale restructuring effort which sadly involves the shelving of some projects and major delays for others.

Arguably the most high-profile cancellation as a result of this process is The Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time. This would-be remake faced a famously troubled development period, with Ubisoft having already restarted the project and pushed its release window back to 2026.

As reported by IGN, Ubisoft has canceled six games in total (including The Sands of Time) and delayed seven more. Reportedly, three of these titles are all-new IPs, while another would have been a mobile game.

As for the seven games that have received delays, little information is available at present. However, it's possible that one of them could be the long-rumored Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag remake.

As part of this restructuring process, Ubisoft has shuttered its Stockholm and Halifax divisions. The former contributed to the development of Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora, while the latter was a mobile game studio.

In a statement to IGN, Ubisoft CFO Frederick Duguet said: "We went through a thorough review of projects across December [and] January, with the current market evolution in mind — which is consistently more selective.

"You've seen the last quarter showing a never-before-seen level of competition. Competition and selection is here to stay. [...] When you are coming in number one, number two, with great content quality in a given segment, then you can have a very strong reward in terms of player reception and financial performance. That's what really informed our pipeline review. We selected what would be the best projects to put the Creative Houses in the best position to succeed in that market."

The restructure involves Ubisoft splitting its various development divisions into five distinct 'Creative Houses'. We know that Vantage Studio will head up the company's most lucrative franchises; those being Assassin's Creed, Far Cry, and Rainbow Six.

Meanwhile, Creative House 2 will look after Ubisoft's various shooters including Ghost Recon and The Division. Creative House 3 will manage live service games, such as For Honor, The Crew, and potentially Trackmania.

CH4 is one a lot of you will probably have your eyes on, as this will be where Ubisoft's single-player outings are formed. The likes of Rayman, Prince of Persia, and even Beyond Good & Evil 2 will be managed here.

Lastly is Creative House 5, the casual and family-friendly division. Expect Just Dance and various card and board game adaptations to be managed here.

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Right now, shoppers in the UK can head over to Jacamo and bag the upcoming horror survival behemoth of a game for just £17.99 (was £69.99)! That's a huge saving of £52 and makes for a ridiculous pre-order price for a titanic 2026 game.

Now, frankly, this could legitimately be a mistake, and we see Jacamo catch up on it and amend the price – and possibly cancel any pre-orders made. However, I'm always hopeful of retailers honouring the advertised price, and at this price, it's frankly worth a pop, so I recommend you just go for it.

It goes without saying that this is the lowest-ever price I've seen for a Resident Evil Requiem pre-order, and if you can successfully pay this, it is a price tag I wouldn't expect to see anywhere else any time soon.

Resident Evil 9 Requiem is the hotly-anticipated next game in the long-running horror series, and everything points to it being an absolutely cracking game.

We've seen it behind closed doors and been hands-on with it over the course of the past year, and are supremely hyped for its mix of Leon-powered action and stealthy survival gameplay as Grace; the two bounce off each other perfectly.

If you're looking for the latest, lowest prices on Resident Evil Requiem wherever you are in the world, and on all platforms, then check out our price-finding tech below.

The holiday season isn’t that long behind us, and if, like me, you picked up a PlayStation Portal because of its discounted price in the pre-Christmas sales, it’s easy to feel spoiled for choice at first. Especially if you have that PS Plus Premium subscription and a fully unlocked Game Catalog to explore.

With that in mind, I’m here to give you some pointers as to where to begin your journey with some personal PlayStation Portal game picks. We’ll go over everything from AAA hits and mid-budget delights to indie gems and stone-cold classics from prior console generations. As for criteria, the following games look wonderful on the Portal’s smaller 1080p display, and won’t turn into a crunchy bitrate nightmare over the cloud-streamed connection. Let’s dive in.

1. Sackboy: A Big Adventure

There’s a decent number of PlayStation Studios titles available via PS Plus streaming. The Last of Us series, Marvel’s Spider-Man, and Demon’s Souls are all available to play via cloud streaming on the Portal. However, I’ve elected to choose one that may have passed you by, and it’s a very impressive PS5 launch game.

Sackboy: A Big Adventure is a mesmerizingly colorful collectathon-style platformer that really didn’t get much buzz back in 2020. I always found that surprising, given the love many a PlayStation fan has for LittleBigPlanet. It looks tremendous on the Portal’s sharp display, and it’s a perfect game for short portable play sessions during your lunch break or right before bed.

If you (rightly) loved Astro Bot and you’re looking for a similar platforming experience - from PlayStation Studios itself, no less - then you must give Sackboy: A Big Adventure a try.

2. Red Dead Redemption

To this day, the original Red Dead Redemption remains my favorite game developed by Rockstar. There’s been a real push from the developer recently to have the open-world wild west drama available on many different platforms, including Nintendo Switch 2 and PS5.

It’s also available to play on the Portal via cloud streaming, and it’s a surprisingly brilliant fit for the device. There are no fancy particle effects here to throttle the bitrate, and the eerie, isolated nature of Red Dead Redemption's map makes it a fantastic and capable streaming companion.

The PS5 port boasts a resolution upscale and runs at a silky smooth 60 frames per second. As a result, there are few platforms that offer a better play experience for this 2010 classic.

3. Earth Defense Force 6

Okay, it might not be the most immediately appealing game at first glance, but let me try to sell you on Earth Defense Force 6 and why it’s a great fit for the Portal.

If you’re unfamiliar, EDF is an incredibly simple series of third-person shooters with a staunch cult audience. As one of four varied classes, you choose weaponry and vehicles to bring into missions, and blast giant insects and aliens into smithereens. Said classes include a laser-shooting flying valkyrie - the Wing Diver - and a literal mech of a man in the Fencer, a terrifying walking tank able to dual-wield miniguns.

That’s EDF at surface level, but one seriously underappreciated aspect of the series is its mind-boggling sense of scale. A literal army of giant hornets is one thing; it’s another to watch a mothership the size of the moon slowly descend through the clouds overhead. What the series lacks in cutting-edge visuals, it more than makes up for in the sheer awe of setpieces like this. It’s a cheesy, lighthearted series to be sure, but one that can nonetheless strike the fear of god into you.

Earth Defense Force 6 is the latest in the mainline series, and its simple, coherent visual style looks great on the Portal’s display. It runs excellently, too, doing a great job of maintaining a high frame rate even during the most hectic missions. The rather short nature of most missions also makes it ideal to just hop in, upgrade your classes, and gather new weapons in a very time-efficient manner.

Seriously, I cannot recommend this one enough. Though maybe not if you're arachnophobic. Those giant spiders are genuinely horrifying.

4. Skate Story

One of the most genuinely mind-blowing indie games I’ve ever played, Skate Story combines the sim-lite mechanics of the skate series with the hazy, dreamlike quality of killer7, Hotline Miami, or even a dash of Cruelty Squad.

Skate Story isn’t as graphically violent as those games, of course, but it sets a similarly somber mood and atmosphere as the player character - the Glass Skater (and yes, that’s literal) - kickflips, shove-its, and grinds through the underworld. Backed by a phenomenal soundtrack by Blood Cultures (seriously, you need to play this game with headphones), Skate Story is an experience I simply wasn’t able to put down.

Skate Story is a brilliant fit for the Portal. It can be beaten in a handful of handheld sessions, and I loved plugging in a wired headset, curling up in bed, and just vibing out to the immaculate visuals and soundtrack on offer here. It’s a real treat, and easily one of 2025’s best indie offerings.

5. Blue Prince

Now, from one critically-acclaimed indie to another, we have Blue Prince. A real ‘talk of the town’ game from last year, we at TechRadar Gaming ranked it as one of our top games of the year.

With simple, readable visuals that really pop on the PlayStation Portal, Blue Prince is a sprawling mystery game that’s fiendishly tough to solve as it is to put down. I’ve lost count of the times I burned the midnight oil getting closer to the center of the mystery of the Mount Holly estate. And it’s all been time well-spent.

Games like Blue Prince, Outer Wilds, and Lorelei and the Laser Eyes are some of my favorites. Exploring a vast space and slowly unraveling clues that lead to even greater mysteries and plot revelations is an endlessly satisfying feeling. And Blue Prince’s central room drafting mechanic lends it an air of roguelite and deckbuilders alike.

While not squarely falling into those categories by any means, it successfully borrows those playstyles to create something genuinely fresh. I still can’t stop thinking about Blue Prince in 2026, and it definitely feels like the kind of game its fans will be theorizing about - and potentially uncovering even more hidden secrets - for years to come.

6. Shadowrun Trilogy

Okay, yes, I’m cheating a bit here. Harebrained Schemes’ Shadowrun Trilogy is indeed three separate games: Shadowrun Returns, Shadowrun: Dragonfall, and Shadowrun: Hong Kong.

All three share the same isometric, turn-based strategy gameplay, and all have excellent stories, settings, and characters. As a result, if one of these games gets its hooks into you, you’ll more than likely fall prey to the others, as well.

The gorgeously sharp and gritty 2D visuals are a great match for the Portal. There’s a lot of text, and the user interface can feel quite busy, but it’s all surprisingly legible and very well-designed.

While I’ve played through all of them on PC, they’re all available via the PS Plus Game Catalog. If you’ve been a fan of turn-based strategy titles like XCOM 2 or Marvel’s Midnight Suns, it’ll be very easy to fall in love with Shadowrun.

7. Ridge Racer 2

Ridge Racer 2 is a pretty unique entry in the beloved arcade racing series. It feels like a compilation, or an anthology, throwing in tracks, cars, and music from all Ridge Racer games released up to that point into one content-rich package.

And boy, is Ridge Racer 2 stuffed with hours upon hours of things to do. It was originally released on the PSP, and those handheld chops are far better suited to the Portal than they are blown up on a 4K display.

I’m a huge fan of the series, but Ridge Racer 2 is one entry that escaped me, as I never owned a PSP growing up. It was a surprise addition to PS Plus a couple of years ago, though, and recently, I’ve loved diving back in for some quick-and-simple arcade action whenever I have a spare few minutes. They’re a little more streamlined here, but the drifting mechanics remain some of the most satisfying across the broader racing game spectrum.

Please, Bandai Namco, the children yearn for Ridge Racer 8…

8. Tomb Raider Anniversary

Tomb Raider Anniversary is a game I remember enjoying greatly when I owned it on the Wii way back when, but I didn’t know it was also available on the PS2 at the time. Now that it’s come to PS Plus (sporting a glorious performance glow-up, mind you), it plays better on the PS5 and Portal than it ever has before.

Above all, I’m quite stunned at just how well the Tomb Raider games in between the classic and modern era (those being Legend, Anniversary, and Underworld) hold up. Lara controls amazingly, feeling like a solid evolution of where the series came from, also without feeling as on-rails as the Uncharted series’ platforming - a series that was, at the time, almost singlehandedly airdropping PS3 consoles into people’s houses.

Anniversary is a remake of the original Tomb Raider. And funnily enough, we’ve got another one of those coming along this year in the form of Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis. If you’re excited for that, I strongly encourage you to give Anniversary a go. The series has always been in safe hands at Crystal Dynamics, and this entry is one of the developer’s finest.

9. Soul Calibur 3

A real monster of a game to close out on, and one I never in a million years thought would make it to PS Plus. Especially as it’s never - not once - had a re-release beyond its PS2 exclusivity.

Soul Calibur 3 is perhaps the best single-player fighting game of all time. What do I mean by that? Well, the game simply has a dizzying amount of content - both unlockable and available from the jump.

Story mode with branching paths for every character. Create a Soul mode for making custom characters, which in itself has unlockable clothing and playstyle options. A plethora of characters, stages, and bonus modes to unlock. And to top it all off, a full-blown real-time strategy side story that combines Soul Calibur’s excellent 3D fighting with base and unit management.

It’s a real looker for its time, too, further cementing the notorious leap in visual quality from the original PlayStation to the PS2. It holds up to scrutiny on the Portal’s modern display, too, looking effortlessly sharp on that 1080p screen - especially as Soul Calibur 3 offers native widescreen support in its settings menu.

Fighting games are best played with friends, of course, such is the nature of the genre. But if there ever was to be an exception, it’s definitely Soul Calibur 3.

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GameStop – the popular console, video game, and electronics store in the United States – is having some issues this AM. I can't get the site to load, and my colleagues can't either; reports on Down Detector are spiking.

Reports are currently trending upwards at 260 on Down Detector, which isn't the highest, but certainly shows that something is up. So to track GameStop's issues this AM, TechRadar Gaming is spinning up a live blog to cover one of the biggest game stores in the country.

Rather than the homepage or a 503 error, we're seeing a "Sorry you have been blocked" screen when trying to access GameStop.

While that screengrab is from a laptop connected to Wi-Fi, I also tried loading GameStop.com on my iPhone 17 Pro Max, which is connected to Visible's 5G network. I'm seeing the same error, which says that I've been blocked from accessing the site.

It's certainly a weird one, but it is providing a 'Cloudflare Ray ID' for every request. This does not mean it's an issue with CloudFlare; we just know there's some sort of communication issue occurring when trying to access GameStop.

Here's a look at Down Detector right now – as of 11:10 AM, the most recent update on the site that tracks outages based on your reports, is currently trending upwards at 304 reports. We're keeping an eye on GameStop's X (formerly Twitter) account to see if the retailer posts any updates as well.

Interestingly enough, we've spotted a Reddit thread from a year ago that shows a screen grab of a similar issue, in fact, one that's nearly identical to what folks are seeing today.

The difference is that this is from a year ago, and it doesn't seem as widespread as the one affecting folks currently.

The screen we're currently seeing when trying to load GameStop isn't super uncommon: if you're spamming a website repeatedly, you could get flagged and see the 'You've been blocked' notice.

It appears to be a bit more common today and follows previously reported issues accessing GameStop. This Reddit thread here is from earlier today. GameStop's website issues come after the company has confirmed it is closing down over 400 stores across the United States.

While GameStop has yet to post on X from its official handle, we are seeing some other frustrated folks start to post about it. However, while the site is still not loading for many, reports on Down Detector are dropping.

Although not because it's recovering, but because not many folks are reporting.

One potential reason for GameStop's site being down is that several Reddit users reported the site was showing other customers' orders, including payment information and addresses. That's a huge liability, especially when a user is authenticated in and attempting to track orders, only to be presented with another user's information.

You can see that Reddit thread here, but it's quite possible that GameStop needed to take the site offline to fix that.

We're now 2 hours in, and GameStop is still not loading, though Down Detector reports are now sitting at slightly over 150. Additionally, more frustrated folks are taking to social media platforms like X to talk about the site being down.

One part of GameStop's website is still somewhat functional, though without any flair. The GameStop Investor page is still active with a mostly typeface front and links out to releases, reports, and SEC filings, among other tabs.

GameStop posts on X, but not about the site issues

Now, while plenty of folks have been posting on X and tagging a GameStop to ask what's going on, the retailer has all but ignored those so far.

Interestingly enough, whoever is running the @GameStop account has responded to an @AppleMusic post, quoting a 'Dark Souls III' track that appears on the loading screen for the game in response to the track you're listening to in 2016 prompt. Strange.

Our long national nightmare is over

Well, for the GameStop loyalists, I have some good news. GameStop is back on desktop and on mobile, and just as mysteriously as it went down, it's back with no other comments.

Let us know in the comments below if it's back for you.

Nintendo has released a surprise free update for Donkey Kong Country Returns HD that adds new content and improves the experience for players on both Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2.

The most significant new addition is the arrival of Dixie Kong, with the character able to accompany you in certain levels in place of Diddy Kong. She offers her trademark helicopter spin ability that lets you gain a little bit more height.

A new Turbo Attack mode has been added too, which takes the existing time trial mode and ups the ante by massively increasing the speed at which the game runs.

Nintendo Switch 2 owners can look forward to an increased resolution and much shorter load times - the latter being one of my biggest frustrations with the original release. GameShare support has been implemented too, letting you play the game's co-op mode with a friend via local wireless connectivity.

Even if you don't have a Nintendo Switch 2, you can still expect some subtle graphical enhancements. As detailed by a video on the YouTube channel CVG, small issues like overlapping asset placement and missing effects have been addressed.

The co-op mode has also received a much-needed fix that allows both you and your partner to bounce off the same enemy more easily.

It's a brilliant little update overall, and one that definitely makes Donkey Kong Country Returns HD a more tempting proposition for Nintendo Switch 2 owners. If you have Nintendo's latest console and enjoyed your time with the excellent Donkey Kong Bananza, it's well worth checking out.

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Good morning! Let's play Connections, the NYT's clever word game that challenges you to group answers in various categories. It can be tough, so read on if you need Connections hints.

What should you do once you've finished? Why, play some more word games of course. I've also got daily Strands hints and answers and Quordle hints and answers articles if you need help for those too, while Marc's Wordle today page covers the original viral word game.

SPOILER WARNING: Information about NYT Connections today is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers.

NYT Connections today (game #956) - today's words

Today's NYT Connections words are…

• TIMER
• FUMBLE
• SPINY
• SHARP
• TURNOVER
• ELLEN
• CRISP
• MISS
• USE
• CLEAR
• COBBLER
• TRIP
• CRUMBLE
• FLUFF
• DISTINCT
• STRUDEL

NYT Connections today (game #956) - hint #1 - group hints

What are some clues for today's NYT Connections groups?

• YELLOW: Photographic terms
• GREEN: Apple puddings
• BLUE: Clumsy accident
• PURPLE: Add to famous periodicals

Need more clues?

We're firmly in spoiler territory now, but read on if you want to know what the four theme answers are for today's NYT Connections puzzles…

NYT Connections today (game #956) - hint #2 - group answers

What are the answers for today's NYT Connections groups?

• YELLOW: WELL-DEFINED, AS AN IMAGE
• GREEN: FRUIT DESSERTS
• BLUE: BUNGLE
• PURPLE: MAGAZINES PLUS A LETTER

Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.

NYT Connections today (game #956) - the answers

The answers to today's Connections, game #956, are…

• YELLOW: WELL-DEFINED, AS AN IMAGE CLEAR, CRISP, DISTINCT, SHARP
• GREEN: FRUIT DESSERTS COBBLER, CRUMBLE, STRUDEL, TURNOVER
• BLUE: BUNGLE FLUFF, FUMBLE, MISS, TRIP
• PURPLE: MAGAZINES PLUS A LETTER ELLEN, SPINY, TIMER, USE

• My rating: Easy
• My score: Perfect

As someone who only half knows things about US sports I initially thought that I should be seeing a very obvious group connected to football – FUMBLE, TURNOVER, TIMER…

Then, spying STRUDEL, CRUMBLE and COBLER, I deduced that we were connecting a group where a TURNOVER was made from puff pastry and often accompanied by ice cream as opposed to men in tights chasing a giant egg.

From here, matters were fairly straightforward, although I’m peeved I didn’t see MAGAZINES PLUS A LETTER – one of the more gettable purple groups, and one I could have seen first if I’d have not been distracted by pastry.

Yesterday's NYT Connections answers (Wednesday, January 21, game #955)

• YELLOW: ITEMS TO RECYCLE BOTTLE, CAN, CARDBOARD BOX, NEWSPAPER
• GREEN: BEDDING BLANKET, SHAM, SHEET, THROW
• BLUE: PLAGIARIZE COPY, CRIB, LIFT, PIRATE
• PURPLE: BATMAN'S "BAT" THINGS CAVE, MOBILE, SIGNAL, SUIT

Xbox has announced the next raft of titles coming to the Game Pass subscription service, and it includes some excellent experiences that I can personally recommend.

For me, the big highlight this month is easily the arrival of Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 on January 29. This third-person shooter was comfortably one of my favorite releases of 2024, offering some good old-fashioned action that doesn't suffer from any of the bloat of most modern games.

You play as one of the fearsome Space Marines from the dark Warhammer 40,000 universe, mowing down enemies with powerful ranged and melee weapons. It's immensely satisfying, and there are loads of different modes to try, including a beefy single-player story, a distinct co-op campaign, and even some PvP multiplayer.

I'd also check out MySims: Cozy Bundle, a two-pack containing the old The Sims spinoffs MySims and MySims Kingdom. Both are lovely little experiences that are more akin to something like Animal Crossing than your usual Sims game - so a perfect fit if you want some relaxing titles to dip into for a few hours after work.

It's arriving on January 29, but if you don't want to wait that long for something to play, then Resident Evil Village is well worth a look with the next instalment, Resident Evil Requiem, set to release next month.

It's a survival horror game, of course, so not one if you're not a fan of scares - but still a highly enjoyable experience with some superb set piece moments. It's playable right now!

This is just a small fraction of the games coming to Game Pass soon. You can browse the full list below and see which Game Pass Tier you need to access them, below.

January 20:

• Resident Evil Village, – Game Pass Ultimate, Game Pass Premium, PC Game Pass
• MIO: Memories in Orbit – Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass

January 21:

• Death Stranding Director’s Cut – Game Pass Ultimate, Game Pass Premium, PC Game Pass
• RoadCraft – Game Pass Ultimate, Game Pass Premium, PC Game Pass
• Ninja Gaiden Ragebound – Game Pass Ultimate, Game Pass Premium, PC Game Pass

January 26:

• The Talos Principle 2 – Game Pass Ultimate, Game Pass Premium, PC Game Pass

January 28:

• Anno: Mutationem – Game Pass Ultimate, Game Pass Premium, PC Game Pass
• Drop Duchy – Game Pass Ultimate, Game Pass Premium, PC Game Pass

January 29:

• MySims: Cozy Bundle – Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass
• Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 – Game Pass Ultimate, Game Pass Premium, PC Game Pass

February 2:

• Indika – Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass

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TL;DR, yes, but I’m left feeling like the Switch 2 edition is only the second best way to play the best way to play Final Fantasy VII.

I’m not the only person who loves Final Fantasy VII Remake. Former TechRadar Computing Hardware expert Jackie Thomas gave it five stars out of five back when it released on the PS4 almost six years ago, and the story, music, and general beauty of the game haven’t changed with this port.

But as you’d expect, going from a home console to a handheld hybrid, some technical downgrades are to be expected – with both texture quality, framerate, and fidelity dips noticeable, though playing in Docked mode does give it a noticeable visual bump.

That said, are you playing on the Switch 2 for graphical superiority? If you are you might want to rethink your console choice, as the true beauty of the Nintendo hybrid is its ability to game on the go, and for an tens-of-hours-long RPG – that’ll hold your attention between 30 and 90 hours based on whether you want to focus on the story, complete a few side quests along the way, or seriously devour every piece of additional content across both the main campaign and bonus Intermission downloadable content (DLC) episode – is essential for more time-strapped gamers.

Finding time to play all of that at home can be tough, especially if you share your TV. Taking Final Fantasy 7 Remake on the go as part of your morning commute, on trips if you travel regularly, or simply enjoying it in portable mode on the couch while someone else uses the main screen in your home entertainment setup makes finding the time much more manageable – meaning you can actually start enjoying the games you buy, and not just stare at them in your ever-growing digital library.

If this convenience is what you crave, you’ll love Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade on the Nintendo Switch 2. For everyone else, this game is still required reading, but you’d be better served by its PlayStation 5 edition (provided you have access to the console).

Final Fantasy 7 Remake is part one of Square Enix’s recreation of the 1997 RPG, Final Fantasy 7. While it is, in some ways, simply a third of a game, the care and attention put into every inch of this title doesn’t leave you feeling shortchanged.

As I mentioned in the intro you can easily spend close to 90 hours playing Remake if you sink your teeth into every challenge the game has to offer, including finishing every side mission, earning the high score in every minigame, completing the game on Hard mode (which requires a whole replay), and besting the greatest foes in Shinra’s virtual battle zone.

I can say, as someone who has done exactly this, you won’t regret the time you spend in Midgar, but even if you simply focus on the main quest-focused story (including the Intermission story featuring Yuffie), then you’ll still be savouring Final Fantasy VII for around 30 to 40 hours.

Even if you’ve played the 1997 version, there’s plenty to enjoy here too.

The Remake expands on the story in a way that better fleshes out each character, the relationships between the key players, and (if I’m honest) makes the experience much more engaging rather than what could at times feel like a slog.

There are a few new twists and turns to discover as well, but every single one feels like a worthy addition to the mythos and the core story FFVII is telling – rather than fluff that would detract from its message.

Combat ready!

The gameplay has had a tune-up, too.

I enjoy turn-based battling, but Final Fantasy VII’s approach to combat is undeniably more active and approachable to a wider audience. At the same time, I appreciate the “Classic” difficulty mode the game introduces, which helps to return some of the accessibility offered by turn-based combat if you want it.

If playing regularly, you must actively attack and block with your character to charge ATB so you can perform more powerful skills and spells. In Classic mode, the characters all fight and guard automatically, letting you simply focus on which enemy to target and when you want to use those more powerful moves.

It’s not a substitute for the slower pace of turn-based fights, but feels closer to it if you require a slightly calmer pace.

In any case, with this more active approach to combat comes complexity where lots can be happening at once – especially in bigger fights that have Cloud, Tifa, and Barrett slashing, punching, and firing away at a small army of Shinra guards and bots returning fire – but the Switch 2 did its best to keep things flowing smoothly.

There’s no in-system way to track framerate, but the gameplay did seem to hold steady at 30 frames per second (fps) as Square has promised. If you’re used to higher rates, you’ll notice some frameyness to the game in handheld mode, but honestly, it doesn’t detract from the experience – especially since this isn’t a game like a shooter where 60fps-afforded precision is essential.

There are also a few noticeable texture and model downgrades compared to the PlayStation version, which are even more apparent if, like me, you’re used to the PS5 rendition rather than the PS4 edition of Remake. When you dock your Switch 2, however, things do start to look a lot better, and even in handheld mode, there is an undeniable beauty to Final Fantasy VII Remake that persists even if the overall quality has taken a hit.

Again, as I mentioned in my intro, it’s also not like you’re choosing the Switch 2 for its graphical fidelity. Quality is the price we pay for handheld convenience, and I’ll hold firm to the fact that this port does look great, even if not quite as great as the PlayStation edition. It just comes down to what you value more.

The only other point I’ll make on the Switch 2 vs PlayStation comparisons is cost.

At launch, the Switch 2 Final Fantasy 7 Remake Intergrade will cost you $39.99 / £39.99 / AU$69.95. It’s a reasonable price of entry in my mind, but you should note that a twin pack of Remake and its part 2 Rebirth on PS5 will set you back $59.99 / £59.99 / AU$159.95 (it’s not such a great deal based in Australia at full-price, though I’ve seen it on sale for much less in each of these regions meaning it’s a better deal than these numbers make it look).

Two games for effectively the price of one-and-a-half (or even for the price of one if you get the twin pack with a discount) is clearly a good deal. So if you have access to both consoles, and won’t appreciate the convenience of handheld mode, or would appreciate the better value proposition, then you might want to consider your options for how to experience Final Fantasy VII.

Should you play Final Fantasy 7 Remake Intergrade on the Switch 2?

Play it if…

Don’t play it if…

Accessibility

Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade has several difficulty controls to help with accessibility.

There’s Classic mode if you’d prefer a simpler battle system, but also the ability to always have max HP, a full ATB gauge, and constantly deal max damage (among other effects) that can make the game more approachable.

Beyond this, there are subtitles for all cutscenes, and there isn’t a built-in colorblind mode, which can unfortunately make a couple of fights and minigames a little tougher if you are colorblind.

How I reviewed Final Fantasy VII Remake on Nintendo Switch 2

I’ve already put over 80-hours into Final Fantasy VII Remake and its DLC episode on my PS5 – as I mentioned in my review, I enjoyed it so much I went out of my way to get every trophy – so I already knew my thoughts on its mechanics and its story before booting this title up, and had a great point of reference for the Switch 2 version.

The focus of this review was to test how well the Nintendo Switch 2 can handle the game I love. To test this, I played the title over many, many hours in both docked and handheld mode, made sure to explore both the main story, side quests, and minigames, and made notes about its technical capabilities.

I reviewed this game using a standard Nintendo Switch 2 when in handheld mode, and on a Amazon Fire TV Omni QLED with a Sonos Beam (Gen 2) soundbar, and an 8BitDo Ultimate 2 controller in docked mode.

Market research firm Niko Partners is predicting that the Nintendo Switch 2 "will see a global price hike" in 2026.

This comes as part of the company's latest report on the ten major trends to watch in 2026. The company highlights the fact that the Nintendo Switch 2, which currently costs $449.99 / £395.99, is currently very competitively priced compared to the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series consoles, particularly after they both received price rises last year.

Unfortunately, this is not likely to last thanks to the impact of tariffs and the ongoing RAM shortage, which has pushed the prices of vital components up across the board, increasing manufacturing costs. This is in addition to "broader macroeconomic conditions" globally.

Niko Partners does highlight the fact that Nintendo chose to maintain the $449.99 / £395.99 price tag throughout last year despite the introduction of tariffs, but this seems unlikely to continue as costs continue to mount up.

There is a small ray of hope, though. Although a price rise is expected, the firm posits that Nintendo may opt to simply discontinue the $449.99 / £395.99 package and sell the more expensive $499.99 / £429.99 bundle, which includes a copy of Mario Kart World, instead.

Could now be the best time to buy a Nintendo Switch 2? It's certainly possible if you want to avoid the chance of having to pay more down the line.

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Arc Raiders appears to have addressed some rather frustrating out-of-bounds cheating in its latest patch, but it's another story according to the playerbase.

Update 1.12.0 is a fairly small patch, the details of which have been posted to the official Arc Raiders website. The fixes are targeting various exploits, but the two that stand out are as follows:

• Fixed some cases where players were able to damage others from behind geometry.
• Fixed various out of bounds map locations on Stella Montis.

The Stella Montis map of Arc Raiders has been a veritable hunting ground for less-savory players, thanks to a number of exploits that allow them to get out of bounds. From there, they can still open fire on unsuspecting players, who aren't able to retaliate.

Now, as reported by IGN, the latest Arc Raiders update only seems to have slowed cheaters down, rather than halt them entirely. Players took to the official Arc Raiders Discord server to express their discontent.

“There is still a wall glitch in Stella (somewhere in the lobby area),” according to one user on the server. “Embark is incapable of fixing their game.”

“So, I guess they didn’t fix wall glitches because I just got killed by 3 people inside the seed vault extract in Stella Montis,” wrote another user.

Rome wasn't built in a day, as they say. And developer Embark Studios does at least seem keenly aware of the problem. Devs also took to the official Discord server to say fixes would be coming over "the next few weeks."

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Epic Games has teased a Fortnite collaboration with The Office, sharing an image with the words "Builds. Beets. Battle Royale." – a reference to a quote from the show.

The latest teaser was posted on X (see below), showing a picture of some beets. This is a nod to Dwight Schrute from The Office, who is a beet farmer in the show. While we're yet to hear more on a potential The Office crossover from Epic Games officially, there have been some rumors circulating amongst popular Fortnite leakers.

Fortnite leaker @ShiinaBR recently shared a leak suggesting that The Office, Space Jam, and other tie-ins were planned for release in Chapter 7. So far, Epic Games has seemingly confirmed The Office via the aforementioned teaser. We're yet to hear anything about the other leaks, which also include Ed, Edd, and Eddy.

Fortnite Chapter 7 Season 1: Pacific Break is currently underway. For all the latest updates, including the release date for the next season, be sure to check out our Fortnite Chapter 7 guide.

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Square Enix has revealed a new Life is Strange game, and its release is only a few weeks away.

Life is Strange: Reunion is billed as "the emotional conclusion of the Max and Chloe saga" which began all the way back in 2015 with the release of the first Life is Strange game.

Set after the events of previous instalment Life is Strange: Double Exposure, Reunion picks up with Max Caulfield working as a photography teacher at the picturesque Caledon University. Returning from a weekend trip, she discovers the university in flames and is only able to escape using her rewind powers - which are returning from the first game.

With three days to discover the origin of the fire, things become even more complicated when childhood friend (or former love interest) Chloe Price arrives.

Both Max and Chloe will be playable in the same game for the first time, with the perspective alternating between the pair as the story unfolds.

This entry is being helmed by American studio Deck Nine, the team responsible for Before the Storm, True Colors, and Double Exposure. The original game, not to mention Life is Strange 2 and spinoff The Awesome Adventures of Captain Spirit, was created by French developer Don't Nod which recently put out the superb Life is Strange spiritual successor Lost Records: Bloom & Rage.

Life is Strange: Reunion is set to launch on March 26, 2026 for Xbox Series X and Series S, PlayStation 5, and PC. Multiple edition of the game are available to pre-order now, including a $59.99 'Twin Pack' that includes immediate access to a copy of Double Exposure.

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Embark Studios is considering plans to evolve Arc Raiders' endgame loop by escalating PvE (player versus environment).

That's according to Arc Raiders' design lead Virgil Watkins in a recent interview with GamesRadar+, who discussed the current endgame scenario of killing the Queens and Matriarchs to farm for guns that kill them better.

Watkins explained that while the team is "pretty happy" with the current state, "I don't think we can subsist forever on that".

"I think eventually, if we introduce yet another six-legged giant spidery robot, it's kind of like, 'Okay, we got it,'" Watkins said. "So yeah, I think it's looking toward where we take those types of experiences in the future to something else or something additional, seeing how we can escalate the experience for the player on the PvE side."

Watkins added that Embark has noticed how players have become "sophisticated in their approach" of taking down drones and thinks "continuing to escalate that is where we're looking at growing next."

Speaking on those gigantic Arcs that players can spot roaming in the background, which some players have dubbed "The Emperor", Embark said it doesn't currently have plans to introduce them as killable bosses, because it's worried the servers might explode. For now, it sounds like a technical hurdle, but it sure would be cool to take one on.

"We want to go wherever's practical for us, or wherever feels fun, but then you start running into the practical side of, will this blow up the server? Can it even support these kinds of things?" Watkins said.

"Our ambitions are definitely large, and I'm not going to say that you're going to meet one anytime soon, but obviously you see the giant walking ones in the background and stuff."

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Good morning! Let's play Connections, the NYT's clever word game that challenges you to group answers in various categories. It can be tough, so read on if you need Connections hints.

What should you do once you've finished? Why, play some more word games of course. I've also got daily Strands hints and answers and Quordle hints and answers articles if you need help for those too, while Marc's Wordle today page covers the original viral word game.

SPOILER WARNING: Information about NYT Connections today is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers.

NYT Connections today (game #955) - today's words

Today's NYT Connections words are…

• THROW
• CRIB
• COPY
• NEWSPAPER
• PIRATE
• CAVE
• BOTTLE
• MOBILE
• BLANKET
• CAN
• LIFT
• SIGNAL
• SHAM
• SUIT
• CARDBOARD
• BOX
• SHEET

NYT Connections today (game #955) - hint #1 - group hints

What are some clues for today's NYT Connections groups?

• YELLOW: Trash them to use again
• GREEN: Covers
• BLUE: Steal and claim as your own
• PURPLE: Bruce Wayne stuff

Need more clues?

NYT Connections today (game #955) - hint #2 - group answers

What are the answers for today's NYT Connections groups?

• YELLOW: ITEMS TO RECYCLE
• GREEN: BEDDING
• BLUE: PLAGIARIZE
• PURPLE: BATMAN'S "BAT" THINGS

Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.

NYT Connections today (game #955) - the answers

The answers to today's Connections, game #955, are…

• YELLOW: ITEMS TO RECYCLE BOTTLE, CAN, CARDBOARD BOX, NEWSPAPER
• GREEN: BEDDING BLANKET, SHAM, SHEET, THROW
• BLUE: PLAGIARIZE COPY, CRIB, LIFT, PIRATE
• PURPLE: BATMAN'S "BAT" THINGS CAVE, MOBILE, SIGNAL, SUIT

• My rating: Hard
• My score: 2 mistakes

The blue PLAGIARIZE group came together quickly for me today, before I hit a wall and struggled.

I made both my mistakes trying to collect what became the green BEDDING group, getting 'one away' both times before abandoning it. Had I known what a SHAM was then it would have been a lot easier, but instead I tried NEWSPAPER and CARDBOARD BOX, thinking the group was more to do with covering than sleeping.

My triumph was getting BATMAN’S “BAT” THINGS. It was one of those purple groups that didn’t make me feel more clever, but that did provide comfort that all my years watching The Adventures of Batman were not in vain.

Yesterday's NYT Connections answers (Tuesday, January 20, game #954)

• YELLOW: INTERTWINE LACE, TWIST, WEAVE, WIND
• GREEN: KINDS OF BEES BUMBLE, CARPENTER, HONEY, KILLER
• BLUE: FAMOUS BRIDGES BROOKLYN, GOLDEN GATE, RIALTO, TOWER
• PURPLE: STARTING WITH SYNONYMS FOR "HANKER FOR" CRAVEN, DESIREE, NEEDLE, WANTON

Ubisoft has announced that a free performance upgrade will be released for Far Cry 3: Classic Edition, Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon, and Far Cry Primal on current-gen consoles this week.

Last week, the studio shared a cryptic post on social media showing three lines of emoticons in relation to three of its Far Cry games.

The mysterious post was soon cracked after it was announced via a YouTube video that Far Cry 3: Classic Edition will receive a free 60 frames per second (fps) update on PS5, Xbox Series X, and Xbox Series S on January 21.

But what's with the other lines of emoticons? Well, Ubisoft has now confirmed that the 60fps performance update will also arrive on the same day for Blood Dragon.

While the update hasn't been formally announced for Far Cry Primal just yet, the studio more or less confirmed that "Primal, is the next one," in response to a fan, adding "It's coming" to another.

It's just a matter of when Ubisoft will announce the update, but fans can seemingly look forward to smoother performance across all three games by tomorrow.

The latest game in the long-running series is Far Cry 6, but Ubisoft has yet to officially announce Far Cry 7.

In September, Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot offered some insight into the future of the franchise, revealing that it will be more multiplayer-focused moving forward.

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A new limited-edition DualSense wireless controller and Pulse Elite wireless headset inspired by Marathon have been announced.

Bungie's first-person extraction shooter is officially launching on March 5, 2026, for PC, PS5, Xbox Series X, and Xbox Series S, and to coincide with the release, Sony has unveiled a set of limited-edition PS5 accessories inspired by the game.

The Marathon Limited Edition DualSense wireless controller is priced at $84.99 / €84.99 / £74.99 and wrapped in bold neon green graphics and logos inspired by the game's futuristic world.

It launches alongside the game on March 5, with preorders beginning on January 29 at PlayStation Direct and participating retailers.

There's also the Marathon Limited Edition Pulse Elite wireless headset, which will only be available in the US and sold exclusively on the PlayStation Direct store, for $169.99.

The white Pulse Elite will match the DualSense in style, with bold neon green and pink shapes and other Marathon-inspired icons.

"We were excited for the opportunity to commemorate Marathon’s launch with a limited edition design that would excite our fans and our team, and feel like a true part of the world we’re building, something that could exist naturally alongside other objects in the game and feel functional, grounded, and authentic to the universe of Marathon," said Bungie in a PlayStation Blog post.

"We set out to create a design that paid homage to the bold graphic design, vibrant color and visual art direction of the game and its industrial design, architecture and environmental surfaces and equipment. The result is a design that reflects the world’s balance of form and function, where clean lines, purposeful markings, and vivid accents come together to feel both futuristic and believable."

Marathon preorders are also now available on Steam, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, and Xbox Series S. The Standard Edition will cost $39.99 / £34.99/ €34.99, while the Deluxe Edition will cost $49.99 / £49.99 / €49.99. A Collector's Edition has also been announced.

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After numerous delays, Bungie has finally announced a new release date for its first-person, sci-fi extraction shooter, Marathon.

One month after confirming a release window, following an indefinite delay, Bungie's long-awaited game will officially launch on March 5, 2026, for PC, PS5, Xbox Series X, and Xbox Series S at $39.99 / £34.99/ €34.99.

A new gameplay trailer has also been released, introducing players to Gantry, the MIDA faction agent they'll meet on Tau Ceti, as well as the stacked English-language voice cast of Marathon.

The ensemble includes the likes of Red Dead Redemption 2's Roger Clark, Baldur's Gate 3 stars Jennifer English, Neil Newbon, and Samantha Béart, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33's Ben Starr, and many more.

Marathon will be available in Standard and Deluxe Editions across all platforms, with cross-play and cross-save, and preorders are available now on Steam, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, and Xbox Series S.

Pre-ordering Marathon grants players access to rewards, including weapon cosmetics, an emblem, and a background for Marathon at launch, plus additional rewards for Destiny 2 when they link their Bungie.net account.

The Marathon Standard Edition provides access to all gameplay updates, like maps, Runner shells, and events, as the year progresses, and preordering grants the ZERO STEP 004 CE Tactical Sidearm Style, ZERO STEP RC Weapon Charm, ZERO STEP SHIFT Weapon Sticker, APOGEE INTERCEPT Background, and APOGEE INTERCEPT Emblem.

The Destiny 2 rewards include UESC Echo-type Shell Exotic Ghost, UESC Rover Exotic Ship, and UESC Sprinter Exotic Sparrow.

The Deluxe Edition will cost $49.99 / £49.99 / €49.99 and includes all Standard Edition content, 1x Premium Rewards Pass Voucher, 200 SILK Rewards Pass Tokens, the MIDNIGHT DECAY Misriah 2442 Pump Shotgun Style, MIDNIGHT DECAY Overrun AR Style, and four Runner Shell cosmetics: MIDNIGHT DECAY Vandal Shell Style, MIDNIGHT DECAY Destroyer Shell Style, MIDNIGHT DECAY Assassin Shell Style, and MIDNIGHT DECAY Thief Shell Style.

A Collector's Edition has also been revealed and is available now at the Bungie Store, which features a 1/6-scale Thief Runner Shell statue, collectible miniature WEAVEworm, embroidered patch, postcards, digital rewards, and more.

Two versions are available, one features no game code for $170 and €177 in Europe, while the other is available for all platforms and includes a copy of the game for $229.99 / €236.99.

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The Seagate FireCuda 530R with heatsink could be one of the best SSDs for PS5 but, at least for the moment, the pricing is out of control. The 1TB model is difficult to find, while the 2TB and 4TB variants come in at an eye-watering $365 / £220 and $599 / £539.99 respectively at third party sellers on sites like Amazon and Newegg.

This makes it almost impossible to recommend at these prices, especially when alternatives like the WD Black SN850P and Lexar NM790 with Heatsink are in stock cheaper. Of course, this is entirely being driven by the ongoing RAM shortage (which also affects SSDs with DRAM chips), so I will look to update this review if and when they come down to more reasonable rates.

Pricing aside, the Seagate FireCuda 530R with heatsink is a solid, if somewhat unremarkable, PS5 SSD. With quoted read speeds of up to 7,400 MB/s read and 7,000 MB/s write (for the 1TB model) it’s one of the fastest models on the market on paper - though I found its performance to be less impressive in the real world than these figures would suggest.

The 2TB model that I tested scored an underwhelming 6,030MB/s speed on the internal PS5 storage benchmark putting it behind both the WD Black SN850P and Lexar NM790 with Heatsink, not to mention the company’s own officially licensed Seagate Game Drive M.2 SSD for PS5. Still, it’s comfortably above the 5,500 MB/s speed recommended by Sony and doesn’t increase loading times in any noticeable way.

As you would expect for a model marketed towards PS5 owners, the Seagate FireCuda 530R with heatsink comes with a chunky heatsink fitted out of the box. It’s very similar to the one found on the Seagate Game Drive M.2 SSD - albeit with a colorful orange line graphic rather than a blue one. As is the case with that drive, I found it to be perfectly effective.

As a result, the Seagate FireCuda 530R with heatsink could be a great pick for the right price. At the moment, I wouldn’t rush to add it to your basket though given the inflated rates.

Seagate FireCuda 530R with heatsink: Price and availability

• 1TB is $130 / £145 / around AU$290, 2TB is $365 / £220 / around AU$440, 4TB is $599 / £539.99 / around AU$1080
• Prices vary and are hard to pin down
• Stock is hard to find in the US and UK

In the US the Seagate FireCuda 530R with heatsink costs around $130 for the 1TB model - though I wasn’t able to find any retailers carrying stock of that variant at the time of writing. 2TB and 4TB models are easier to find though with stock available at Newegg. There, 2TB goes for $365, while 4TB is $599. Both of these prices come from a third-party seller and are disproportionately high, so I would avoid buying them for now.

In the UK it’s even harder to find, as it’s currently out of stock at Amazon. Historical price data shows that the 1TB model cost around £145, while the 2TB was £220 when both were in stock. The 4TB model is currently available at Overclockers UK, where it costs £539.99.

Seagate told me that a 1TB model of the drive is currently meant to cost $114.99 / £158.99, while 2TB and 4TB are supposed to be $194.99 / £271.99 and $394.99 / £516.99 respectively - though the representative was careful to clarify that “SSD prices are currently very volatile” and “can change daily” (that latter part was even in bold for emphasis).

Seagate FireCuda 530R with heatsink: Specs

Seagate FireCuda 530R with heatsink: Design and features

• Chunky heatsink fitted out the box
• Readily PS5 compatible
• Good warranty coverage

The Seagate FireCuda 530R with heatsink looks remarkably similar to the Seagate Game Drive M.2 SSD for PS5, though with some small aesthetic differences. For starters, the chunky heatsink of the FireCuda bears a little ‘FireCuda’ logo print and a subtle orange decal. Despite the size of the heatsink, this model easily fits into the PS5’s storage bay.

It comes well-packaged in a plastic tray with a little foam insert to keep the pins safe and a little pack of documentation. In there you’ll find an advert for Seagate’s Rescue data recovery service, a basic manual with some general advice on fitting the SSD, and information about the drive’s warranty.

In applicable regions you get five years of limited warranty coverage here, which should be enough to see you through the rest of the PS5’s lifespan and is on par with what’s offered by the competition. The drive’s quoted 5,050 TBW durability is also excellent.

Seagate FireCuda 530R with heatsink: Performance

• Underwhelming benchmark score
• Decent real-world performance
• Heatsink seems effective

Despite the lofty quoted speeds, the Seagate FireCuda 530R with heatsink achieved quite an underwhelming result in the PS5’s internal storage benchmark coming to just 6,030MB/s which is on the lower end of the results for SSDs that I’ve tested. Still, this is more than fast enough for the PS5 and in my testing didn’t impact playing in any noticeable way.

While the substantially cheaper Lexar NM790 with Heatsink caused occasional stutters in demanding games like Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 and Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, the Seagate FireCuda 530R with heatsink was silky smooth in every title that I tested.

Its performance in my usual real-world file transfer tests was also decent. Copy to the SSD from the PS5’s internal storage, 68.75GB of Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 took just 44 seconds to transfer. The drive performs very well with even larger file sizes too, with the 86.33GB Ghost of Yotei copied in just 45 seconds. A combination of both games totaling 154.7GB only took 1 minute and 24 seconds.

Smaller titles were a little bit slower, with the 16.85GB Wuchang: Fallen Feathers taking eight seconds and the tiny 1.2GB C Smash VRS taking just two.

Copying from the SSD back to the console, Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 and Ghost of Yotei were ready in 4 minutes and 41 seconds and 6 minutes and 5 seconds respectively, while both at once took 10 minutes and 17 seconds. Finally, Wuchang: Fallen Feathers was ready to launch after 1 minute and 13 seconds while C Smash VRS took 13 seconds. These figures are all perfectly adequate, though realistically more dependent on the PS5’s internal write speed than anything else.

There was no noticeable slowdown throughout my testing, which would indicate that the chunky heatsink does its job well and curbs thermal throttling.

Should I buy the Seagate FireCuda 530R with heatsink?

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

Also consider...

After some alternatives to the Seagate FireCuda 530R with heatsink? Here are two to consider.

How I tested the Seagate FireCuda 530R with heatsink

• Tested for a week
• Tried with multiple games
• Compared to other PS5 SSDs

I tested the Seagate FireCuda 530 with heatsink for a week, fitting it to my personal PS5 console. During that time I evaluated its performance with a range of copy tests, in addition to recording the console’s internal benchmark score and trying it with a range of installed games to determine whether the SSD would cause any impact on smoothness.

Throughout my time with the SSD I compared the experience to my hands-on testing of other models including the Samsung 990 Pro with Heatsink, WD Black SN850P, Lexar NM790 with Heatsink, Seagate Game Drive M.2 SSD for PS5, Lexar Play 2280 and more.

Read more about how we test

First reviewed January 2026

And while I’m certainly happy at the prospect of jumping back into one of the best Assassin's Creed games ever made, I’m not entirely convinced that Black Flag is in need of a remake, certainly not over older games like Assassin’s Creed and Assassin’s Creed 2.

Ubisoft has yet to announce anything official about the Black Flag remake, though rumors point to some significant changes being made to the original version of the game. Here’s what I’d like to see changed in a potential redo, and some things that I absolutely, under no circumstances, want Ubisoft to include.

The tempest

I’ve not quite been sold on the last few Assassin’s Creed games, finding both Valhalla and Shadows to be lacking in the parkour, story, and world design departments. That doesn’t mean that a potential Black Flag remake shouldn’t ignore the modern games entirely, however.

Shadows, in particular, is an absolute industry leader in weather and environmental effects. The seasonal changes, the heavy rain, snow, and sleet – the dynamic weather in Shadows is brilliant in how it ties into gameplay, and it would be absolutely stunning when applied to Black Flag’s West Indies.

Black Flag’s setting was really ahead of its time, especially with regard to its large oceans and water effects. Now imagine how a proper dynamic weather system could tie into sailing, exploration, and more.

Tempestuous storms and rolling fog would seriously up the ante for ship combat, as would more modern particle effects for cannon-fire and sea spray. If I could choose one thing for a Black Flag remake to plunder from Shadows, it would absolutely be the dynamic weather.

Hardcore parkour

Modern Assassin’s Creed titles approach parkour in a completely different way than the first six games in the franchise.

I loaded up Black Flag recently, and spent half an hour or so running just around the rooftops of Havana. Parkour still feels surprisingly good. It’s lightning fast, dynamic, and most importantly, it leaves plenty of control in the hands of the player.

You see, parkour is too heavily automated in recent games. The animations are better than they’ve ever been, but the actual moment-to-moment flow of the movement is more restrictive, and you don’t really have all that much control in how you move from point A to point B.

I’m worried that Ubisoft might be about to crowbar modern parkour systems into Black Flag. They actually did something similar already with Assassin’s Creed Mirage.

That game, despite being an homage to the first Assassin’s Creed, features parkour that’s secretly just a tweaked version of Valhalla’s. This does not work at all in the confines of Baghdad, a city that is supposed to evoke the bustling locales of the first three Assassin’s Creed games. The result is a slow and far too streamlined system that pales in comparison to the parkour of games that came out nearly 20 years ago.

Post-launch updates to both Shadows and Mirage have improved things significantly, but it’s all made one thing very clear to me: Black Flag’s parkour does not need replacing, it just needs updating and refining.

Cleaner animations and an updated control scheme are all that a remake of Black Flag really needs to have.

Freedom Cry

I look back quite fondly on Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag - Freedom Cry, though I’ll be the first to admit that it’s nowhere near the best DLC we’ve had in the Assassin’s Creed universe. A potential Black Flag remake does raise the question as to whether Freedom Cry needs to be brought along for the ride. I’m going to be somewhat controversial and say that no, it really doesn’t.

Now, having replayed Freedom Cry recently, I’m here to tell you that you probably do not want to play a straight-up remake of it as much as you think you do.

The story is great, the blunderbuss and machete weapons are fun enough, but the actual structure, the gameplay, and feel of the DLC are seriously lacking. The majority of the missions are tailing ones (more on that later), and the ship combat is really just more of the same from the base game. I would much rather see Freedom Cry protagonist Adéwalé’s role expanded and folded into Black Flag.

While the events of Freedom Cry do take place after Black Flag has ended, Adéwalé could have a much larger, more prominent role in the Black Flag remake.

Give Adéwalé his own missions that borrow from the Freedom Cry playbook and plot, and have the story side of Freedom Cry play out as post-game content. I’d love to see some of Freedom Cry be incorporated here, but simply tacking on a remade Freedom Cry onto the Black Flag package? It’s just not going to be worthwhile.

It’s worth noting here that we have never seen an Assassin’s Creed remake before. We have no idea whether Ubisoft intends to follow the plot and structure of the original, or do something like the Resident Evil series and establish a completely new version of events. I’d quite like to see the latter, as it’d allow for characters like Adéwalé to be fleshed out and given more prominent roles.

Chasing its tail

Many of us look back on games like Black Flag through rose-tinted glasses. It is an undoubtedly fantastic game, and one that really stands out in the series for being something completely unique when compared to what came before.

The problem is that broader memory of Black Flag, the one that evokes snapshots of thrilling ship battles, hair-raising stealth, and larger-than-life supporting characters, isn’t quite the full picture.

Black Flag does not feature the mission structure we’ve come to expect of modern AC games, and it’s particularly plagued by tailing missions. These are a much-maligned part of the Assassin’s Creed franchise, and fairly so. Black Flag, and Assassin’s Creed 3 before it, are the worst offenders for having players slowly tail a target for the duration of a main mission. It’s always dull, and during a replay, it’s quite surprising just how often it crops up.

Black Flag has possibly the worst implementation of a tailing mission in the entire series, as well as one where you tail a ship while sailing the Jackdaw in a swamp.

These either need to be reworked completely or taken out of the game. Modern entries like Assassin’s Creed Shadows handle tailing quite well by giving players more stealth options when approaching a target, or by giving them the choice to kill a tail early and track down the info they’re hiding later on.

This is one area of Black Flag that I think needs modernizing entirely, and please, don’t make me do ship stealth, it simply doesn’t work.

That’s quite enough loot

According to a particular Black Flag remake rumor, the game will lean into loot and gear stats for Edward Kenway’s arsenal, likely in the same way as we’ve seen in the modern games.

Personally, I cannot stand constantly picking up slightly higher-level loot items of the same kind, and I much prefer the older AC games’ approaches to bespoke weapons and simple upgrade trees.

Black Flag does not need the same role-playing game (RPG) treatment first utilized in Origins, nor does it need bloated enemy healthbars and damage numbers. The combat in Black Flag is fast, brutal, and simple, though it definitely fits the protagonist better than having a slew of legendary swords and pistols constantly thrown into a player’s inventory.

This is a pirate game, however, so a better loot variety would be welcome. What I really don’t want to see is the same loot system as employed in Shadows, where I have 20 katanas of varying levels, each one as forgettable as the last.

It’s very likely that Ubisoft will incorporate some of the more RPG-heavy systems seen in recent games when designing a Black Flag remake. A skill tree could be great, and expanding crafting would fit with the treasure-hunting setting. All in all, however, turning Black Flag into a full-on RPG would be a mistake, one that would introduce a whole heap of the very issues that have made modern Assassin’s Creed games so uneven and sometimes even difficult to recommend.

Ubisoft needs to walk a very fine line between old and new here, especially with a game as beloved as Black Flag. The trick will be to modernize aging control schemes and world design while preserving the original’s focus. Easing off on the urge to fill the remake with sprawling RPG loot systems will be key.

We’ll have to wait and see whether Black Flag is indeed getting a remake. All signs point to yes, but it’s important to note that Ubisoft has never acknowledged the remake’s existence, nor has it commented on the recent rumors and leaks.

Hopefully, Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced sticks closely to the original game, as it’s still a fantastic entry into the Assassin’s Creed series, and one that inspired countless games in its wake.

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It’s a Metroidvania that certainly offers up its own level of challenge, but this is a simpler, friendlier, and more pensive affair, one that I’m sure anyone with a love of the genre will find charming, intriguing, and entertaining.

Developer Douze Dixièmes is clearly a team that knows its chosen genre well, ticking all the boxes you’d expect across an adventure that lasts a dozen hours or so at a minimum. However, much more awaits beyond the game’s first ending, and I was driven to uncover more of the story, face the game’s hardest bosses and conquer the most demanding platforming sections.

This is the way the world ends

You play as Mio, a nimble and fleet-footed robot, who must explore The Vessel and prevent this dilapidated AI-controlled spaceship that serves as home to a community of charming robots from a complete shutdown. To do so, you have to partake in that most classic of video game quests: collect the five MacGuffins that are scattered in the far corners of the facility and bring them together to breathe life back into the system.

As you explore, the familiar language of the Metroidvania is all around you, showing you how Mio’s skills and abilities will grow and improve. These are the grappling points you’ll be able to latch onto later. Here are the doors that only open with a certain attack. There’s the chasm that can only be crossed once you can glide. Anyone with a good amount of experience with the genre will find Mio comfortable and understandable at a glance.

At first, I found this made the game a bit too relaxed for my liking, and I feel that other fellow veterans of the genre may also react this way to the game’s opening hours. Sure, I was still enjoying my time winding my way through the corridors of The Vessel, bashing corrupted robots into pieces, and breezing my way past the obstacles in my way, but I was hoping things would escalate.

What helped put off some of those initial worries was the fact that The Vessel is such a fun and fascinating place to explore. From the grandiose Metropolis with its gold-plated buildings and imposing architecture, to the overgrown gardens rife with threatening foliage that reaches out to grab you with its red tendrils, there’s an impressive variety to this constructed and isolated world floating through space.

And it looks gorgeous too: the vibrant colors and graphic novel-esque hand-drawn design make the game pop. Mio herself is a funky-looking character, too, with a swish cape and flowing strands leaking out the back of her head like hair. I especially like the general robots that inhabit The Vessel with their big blocky heads, stuck-on goggle-eyes, and expressive waves to Mio as she passes.

Special shoutout should go to the music as well, which does an incredible job of setting the tone and creating an atmosphere in each biome of The Vessel. Understated and ethereal choral singing mixes with funky electronic bops and pulse-racing boss music to create a diverse soundtrack full of originality and wonder. One particular section genuinely made me just stop and enjoy the music for a moment because it was so perfectly suited to the environment.

Flow state

Eventually, you reach the mechanical bowels of The Vessel in its vaults, one of the most engaging areas to explore, where some of the toughest platforming challenges are found as you avoid lasers, spiked rollers, and fiery pits. And here’s where MIO started to come into its own and remind me of another genre great: Ori and the Blind Forest.

Here, you can combine the various moves you’ve unlocked to string together double jumps, wall climbs, glides, and other traversal abilities to explore new locations, zip through tight sections of platforming, and survive testing combat challenges. From here on, I had countless joyous moments of entering that wonderful flow state and emerging on the other side with immense satisfaction or in awe at a new location I’d discovered (or ingeniously implemented shortcut I’d unlocked).

Yet, while exploration and platforming are where the game excels, combat is where it slumps a little. It’s never bad, but it is missing a spark or idea to elevate it. I think it’s because you simply mash a combo string of three attacks and, well, that’s about it. Yes, there’s a dodge, and yes, you can use the Hairpin power to grapple towards enemies and keep combos going in midair, but it’s all just to continue that one-two-three punch again and again.

Modifiers you buy using the ‘Nacre’ currency dropped by defeating enemies give you a chance to optimise your build and personalise your setup to suit your preferred play style, but there are limits to how many you can equip. The majority only offer light tinkering at most, too, rather than anything that meaningfully expands your offensive options.

For example, you can mark enemies to receive more damage after a successful dodge, or add a heavy attack after a grapple. It helps a little. And I did find a few fights where it excels. Combat, though, is ultimately competent and serviceable, if repetitive.

It doesn’t diminish everything else I like about MIO: Memories in Orbit, though. It doesn’t always turn out this way, but developers with a reverence for the Metroidvania genre have gone out and made an excellent Metroidvania of their own – one that I encourage fans of the genre (or just great games in general) put at the top of their must-play list.

Should you play MIO: Memories in Orbit?

Play it if…

Don’t play it if…

Accessibility

MIO: Memories in Orbit has a few but limited accessibility options that are mostly focused on the game's difficulty. These come in the form of three assists. One makes bosses easier over time by reducing their health every time you die, a pacifist option stops all enemies (except bosses) from attacking you, and the final one gives you more health after you stand on the ground for a brief period of time.

Outside of that, controls can be fully remapped, which I would encourage to more easily reach various abilities during challenging boss fights and platforming sections. Also, subtitles can be toggled on or off.

How I reviewed MIO: Memories in Orbit

I played MIO: Memories in Orbit for around 17 hours on a PlayStation 5 Pro on a Samsung S90C OLED TV using a DualSense Wireless Controller. A handful of hours of my playtime were also spent using the PlayStation Portal, which worked very well for this style of game.

Audio was played through a Samsung HW-Q930C soundbar, and I’d suggest a good-quality soundbar or a pair of headphones to fully appreciate the game’s excellent audio.

Although I reached an ending to the game in about 14 hours, there are additional areas to explore, bosses to fight, and secrets to uncover should you wish to go for 100% completion, which the developers say can take anywhere between 25 and 40 hours.

First reviewed January 2026

Good morning! Let's play Connections, the NYT's clever word game that challenges you to group answers in various categories. It can be tough, so read on if you need Connections hints.

What should you do once you've finished? Why, play some more word games of course. I've also got daily Strands hints and answers and Quordle hints and answers articles if you need help for those too, while Marc's Wordle today page covers the original viral word game.

SPOILER WARNING: Information about NYT Connections today is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers.

NYT Connections today (game #954) - today's words

Today's NYT Connections words are…

• CRAVEN
• TOWER
• BROOKLYN
• BUMBLE
• CARPENTER
• LACE
• NEEDLE
• TWIST
• HONEY
• WANTON
• WIND
• RIALTO
• DESIREE
• GOLDEN GATE
• WEAVE
• KILLER

NYT Connections today (game #954) - hint #1 - group hints

What are some clues for today's NYT Connections groups?

• YELLOW: Connect two things closely
• GREEN: Types of a striped insect
• BLUE: Notable water crossings
• PURPLE: A longing to begin

Need more clues?

We're firmly in spoiler territory now, but read on if you want to know what the four theme answers are for today's NYT Connections puzzles…

NYT Connections today (game #954) - hint #2 - group answers

What are the answers for today's NYT Connections groups?

• YELLOW: INTERTWINE
• GREEN: KINDS OF BEES
• BLUE: FAMOUS BRIDGES
• PURPLE: STARTING WITH SYNONYMS FOR "HANKER FOR"

Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.

NYT Connections today (game #954) - the answers

The answers to today's Connections, game #954, are…

• YELLOW: INTERTWINE LACE, TWIST, WEAVE, WIND
• GREEN: KINDS OF BEES BUMBLE, CARPENTER, HONEY, KILLER
• BLUE: FAMOUS BRIDGES BROOKLYN, GOLDEN GATE, RIALTO, TOWER
• PURPLE: STARTING WITH SYNONYMS FOR "HANKER FOR" CRAVEN, DESIREE, NEEDLE, WANTON

• My rating: Hard
• My score: 2 mistakes

I would like to claim that I saw crave, need, desire and want in CRAVEN, DESIREE, NEEDLE, WANTON, but I didn’t – it was a lucky guess when I was down to my final eight tiles.

Before that it was a day to BUMBLE through. I made a mistake getting INTERTWINE, initially thinking it was about crafting. I included NEEDLE for WIND and then TWIST before finally landing on the correct foursome.

FAMOUS BRIDGES was the only group that I actually knew – TOWER Bridge I have crossed many times including during the London Marathon, whereas my main memory of the RIALTO is the fish market right beside it.

Yesterday's NYT Connections answers (Monday, January 19, game #953)

• YELLOW: INEXPERIENCED BUDDING, FRESH, NAIVE, NEW
• GREEN: 🤑 BUNDLE, FORTUNE, MINT, WAD
• BLUE: MEASURED BY SI UNITS CURRENT, LENGTH, MASS, TIME
• PURPLE: WORDS AFTER "QUICK" FIX, SAND, SILVER, STUDY

A prominent leaker has claimed that Resident Evil – Code: Veronica will be the next game in the series to get the remake treatment.

Originally released in 2000 for the Dreamcast, Code: Veronica is an underrated spin-off that stars protagonists Claire and Chris Redfield. Set shortly after the events of Resident Evil 2 and 3, it focuses on two new deadly T-Virus outbreaks in a remote prison island and Antarctic research facility.

Although far from perfect, the game represented many significant firsts for the series. It relied on real-time 3D environments rather than the pre-rendered backgrounds found in its predecessors and featured a more dynamic camera system.

Roughly a year after its Dreamcast launch, an updated version of the game called Resident Evil: Code Veronica X was released for PlayStation 2, and subsequently Nintendo GameCube. This version of the game later came to PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, then PlayStation 4 where it's still available today.

There have been rumors of a potential remake for some time, but the latest hint comes from long-time Resident Evil leaker 'Dusk Golem'. Responding to a question on X, they claimed that a Resident Evil 5 remake is not on the cards this year.

Instead, they "promise" that a Code: Veronica remake "is going to be announced".

The same user accurately leaked a number of details about the then unannounced Resident Evil Requiem back in June 2025 - though you should still of course take this claim with a pinch of salt.

We'll just have to wait and see whether Capcom has a Code: Veronica remake in store...

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