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While the Sword and Shield era of Pokémon TCG saw sets like Crown Zenith, Lost Origin, and Evolving Skies taking the podium, some of its other offerings have been unfairly forgotten. The Pokémon Silver Tempest expansion is one of them, and, as we enter a ******* of Pokémon hype, you should grab this Elite Trainer Box while it lasts - you may not have another chance. Read the rest of the story... RELATED LINKS: All Pokémon sets in order of release The most expensive rare Pokémon cards of all time The best Pokémon cards 2025 View the full article

CES 2025 is about to kick off and one of the biggest names to take to the stage of the world's largest tech trade show, is AMD. The AMD CES 2025 keynote is expected to see the launch new RX 9000 series graphics cards along with new desktop 9000 series X3D CPUs and new mobile CPUs aimed at both gaming handhelds and powerful gaming laptops, it's set to be one of the biggest reveals of the entire year. If you're excited for what AMD has in store, you can tune in to watch its press conference live via the video below. Otherwise, check back here soon to find out whether AMD's big announcements are likely to shake up the best graphics card and best gaming CPU guides of the world. Read the rest of the story... RELATED LINKS: This wonderful winter-themed white gaming PC build is an absolute delight AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT gaming GPU shown off in new teaser images by PowerColor Mid-range AMD Radeon RX 9000 gaming GPUs here by March, says leak View the full article

With Niantic confirming the dates and locations for Pokémon Go Fest 2025, we thought we would have some fun predicting what we expect to see appear at these events from May to June in the in-person and global offerings. After all, outside of the dates and locations, Niantic hasn’t revealed any information regarding the events and what content trainers can expect. Not that that hasn’t stopped me from already looking at flights and hotels to get ahead of the curb. View the full article For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

The Xbox Series X|S console family has been enigmatic from the very start, with two different models at launch, and Microsoft being seemingly indifferent about hardware sales. Instead, the company chose to focus on Game Pass and bring other previous console-exclusives to other platforms like PC, and even PS5 and Nintendo Switch. This has left many Xbox gamers feeling scorned and disappointed, but the wait for whatever’s next may not be much longer. View the full article

Sure, Stellar Blade isn't to everyone's tastes, but the entire staff got a cash bonus alongside a PS5 Pro, which is pretty nice really. Read more View the full article

You know the Nintendo Switch 2? That small thing absoltely no one's been speculating about and hungry for news on for a good while now? Well, some fans are now seemigly so desperate for any clues that might help them work out when a reveal is coming that they're resorting to tarot readings. Read more View the full article

Quest Master is a very positively reviewed Zelda-inspired dungeon maker currently in Early Access, and recently a big roadmap update was shared for the upcoming 1.0 release. Read the full article here: [Hidden Content] View the full article

We've barely started the new year, and Games Workshop is already warming us up for a bunch of new Warhammer and Warhammer 40k previews by releasing a teaser trailer, ahead of their full reveals at the Las Vegas Open. That short trailer is packed with tantalizing silhouettes of models - here's our reasoned speculation about what they all are. Read the rest of the story... RELATED LINKS: All the Warhammer 40k primarchs, and where they are now What's the best Warhammer 40k starter set to get in 2025? Win free Warhammer vouchers by sending GW your progress pics View the full article

Last month, we asked readers to donate to a couple of good causes in our 2024 Charity Drive sweepstakes. And boy, did you deliver. With the drive now complete and the donations all tallied, we can report that Ars Technica readers gave an incredible $39,047.66 to Child's Play and the Electronic Frontier Foundation in this year's drive. That doesn't set a new record, but it nearly matches last year's total and raises our lifetime Ars Charity Drive donation haul since 2007 to over $540,000. Well done, Arsians! Thanks to everyone who gave whatever they could. We're still early in the process of selecting and notifying winners of our swag giveaway, so don't fret if you haven't heard if you're a winner yet. In the meantime, enjoy these quick stats from the 2024 drive. 2023 fundraising total: $39,047.66Total given to Child's Play: $14,914.82Total given to the EFF: $23,912.89Number of individual donations: 378Child's Play donations: 201EFF donations: 174Average donation: $103.30Child's Play average donation: $74.20EFF average donation: $137.43Median donation: $50.75Median Child's Play donation: $50.00Median EFF donation: $66.95Top single donation: $3,0000 (to EFF)Donations of $1,000 or more: 7Donations of $100 or more: 133$5 or less donations: 6 (every little bit helps!)Total charity donations from Ars Technica drives since 2007 (approximate): $542,935.182024: $39,047.662023: $39,830.362022: $31,656.072021: $40,261.712020: $58,758.112019: $33,181.112018: $20,210.662017: $36,012.372016: $38,738.112015: $38,861.062014: $25,094.312013: $23,570.132012: $28,713.522011: ~$26,0002010: ~$24,0002009: ~$17,0002008: ~$12,0002007: ~$10,000 Read full article Comments View the full article

Valorant is starting 2025 with a bang, and is bringing an entirely new cosmetic type that'll let you flex on players like never before as part of its new season. These cosmetics are called... Flex. Keeping it simple! Read more View the full article

Call of Duty: ****** Ops 6 has just launched a substantial crossover with Netflix’s Squid Game 2, bringing a host of new limited-time modes (LTMs) to the shooter’s arsenal. Along with the new modes have also come several new operator skins for multiplayer and Warzone, as well as a separate Event Pass which functions similarly to the typical Battle Pass. Though some players are less than happy about yet another paid Battle Pass attached to this event, there are enough free game modes to enjoy without having to buy into the Event Pass. View the full article

It's time for CES 2025, which means a gluttony of hardware news is on its way. Before the trade show has officially kicked off, however, we've already got our first look at a new Nvidia GeForce RTX 5090 graphics card from third-party manufacturer Inno3D. This Inno3D card is the first real look at what an RTX 5090 is going to physically look like, with this new Nvidia flagship strongly expected to fully dominate as the best graphics card you can buy once it launches. However, while this leak gives us a glimpse at Inno3D's vision for the new card, Nvidia-manufactured 5090's will likely look quite different, with those graphics cards expected to launch with Nvidia's own branding and design. Read the rest of the story... RELATED LINKS: Nvidia DLSS guide - upscaling to ray reconstruction explained Nvidia GeForce RTX 5090 power draw will be 28% higher than a 4090, leak suggests Nvidia GeForce RTX 5080 set for late January 2025 launch, rumor suggests View the full article

It's hard to pick the best level in Battlefield 3's peerless campaign. I like the first full mission, with the gunfight in the parking lot and the sniper, but the two levels where you play as the Spetznaz, first in Paris, then in the (extremely destructible) coastal villa are spectacular. The huge battle to capture the bank is another high point, but in terms of sheer tension, atmosphere, and fear factor, I think the prize belongs to the setpiece dogfight mission Going Hunting. I could write an entire article about why this is so good, but it turns out the level's playable character, Hawkins, originally had a ******* role in Battlefield 3. In fact, the campaign's lead designer now shares details on two whole missions that were cut before launch. Read the rest of the story... RELATED LINKS: Battlefield's best campaign mode is on ***** for cheaper than ever Battlefield 3 realistic overhaul mod launches this week Prime Gaming's free games for December include Battlefield 3 View the full article

Doom 64 could be coming to current-gen consoles soon, according to an updated ESRB rating. Id Software's ******-slaying FPS series has had no shortage of modern releases, but some players still yearn for the classics. Scratching that itch may get a little easier this year, as signs are pointing to a new port of 1997's Doom 64 in the pipeline. View the full article

Call of Duty: ****** Ops 6’s Squid Game crossover is in its second week and dredging up familiar, thorny questions around the series’ microtransactions. As players run around the virtual battlefield of ****** Ops 6 and Warzone dressed as not only Squid Game contestants but the masked-up soldiers who keep them in line, the Call of Duty community is questioning Activision’s aggressive monetization of its hugely popular money-spinner. Fans had already hit out at the Squid Game event pass, which includes a paid premium track. Call of Duty has never locked event rewards behind a paywall before, and this 1,100 CP ($9.99) battle pass within a battle pass has certainly proven controversial. Now, the first Squid Game premium bundle is on *****, and as expected, it’s expensive. The 2,800 CP ($24) bundle includes three new skins (the triangle, circle, and square Squid Game workers), two weapon skins, and other digital gubbins. 2,800 CP is in-line with some of the most expensive bundles Call of Duty already offers, but there’s more than the up-front cost here that’s upsetting fans. The three Squid Game operators included are all restricted to the same “side.” This means that in ****** Ops 6 Multiplayer, you only use them if you’re on the Crimson One team. So, it may be the case that you have a run of games in which you can’t use the skin you’ve paid for. While this makes sense on one hand (having these skins available for use on both sides would probably create visual confusion), Call of Duty players have expressed frustration at the restriction. “2,800 COD Points for operators on the same faction... Can’t even use more than one at a time,” redditor mrdounut101 complained. I’ve seen many familiar counter arguments pop up in response to this complaint. Just don’t buy Call of Duty skins, some say. If you do, you're part of the problem. Some can’t understand why anyone would buy a Call of Duty soldier skin in the first place, given the game is first-person. Unlike, for example, Fortnite, which is third-person and thus lets you see your character during gameplay, Call of Duty only lets you see your character skin’s hands and forearms as you’re fighting, or in their entirety during executions. ****** Ops 6’s Winner’s Circle, itself the focus of some frustration within the community, shows off your skins in all their glory after the end of a Multiplayer match. Activision certainly knows what it’s doing here. Players are also complaining that ****** Ops 6 is currently packed with players wearing Squid Game skins, but that was inevitable. For a start, one of the skins made available as part of this event is free to all players, so that was always going to prove a popular option, especially given the internet's obsession with Squid Game itself. Squid Game has overrun Call of Duty, yes, but it will pass. Anyone else sick of these damn skins? byu/btrosCuPoJoE inblackops6 .reddit-embed-wrapper iframe { margin-left: 0 !important; } Inevitably we arrive at the endpoint of the Call of Duty microtransaction debate: Activision monetizes the game like it’s free-to-play, like it’s Fortnite, and while that’s true for Warzone players, it very much is not for ****** Ops 6 players, most of whom have forked out at least $70 just to start playing Multiplayer or Zombies. This gets to the issue at the heart of Call of Duty and why it continues to bring in hundreds of millions of dollars through microtransactions alongside the huge amount of money generated by sales of the game itself. Activision has created this cross-progression monetization system that means the free-to-play Warzone has the same microtransactions as the $70 ****** Ops 6. But players do not necessarily play both games. If you play ****** Ops 6 Multiplayer only, for example, a cosmetics bundle that costs a third of the full price of the game is probably going to feel unfairly expensive. But if you play Warzone only, then you probably feel like the price is justified. And then there’s all the positions in-between. Perhaps you play both games. How do you feel about the monetization then? Perhaps you play ****** Ops 6 via your Game Pass subscription. Are the microtransactions good value for you now? Did you pay extra for the BlackCell version of the premium battle pass? If so, perhaps you feel all the Squid Game event pass rewards should be yours without having to hand over even more cash. It really does feel like Activision is pushing the boundary of what it can get away with when it comes to the cost of Call of Duty cosmetics. In truth, the mega publisher has added new types of battle passes and bundles multiple times over the years. But now Call of Duty is in the hands of Microsoft and the pressure is on Phil Spencer to deliver a return on that huge $69 billion acquisition, fans will likely find themselves having to contend with even more new and potentially controversial types of monetization as they struggle to improve their K/D ratio. The Squid Game event pass is probably just the beginning. Wesley is the *** News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at [email protected] or confidentially at *****@*****.tld. View the full article

What if Dracula and his army of vampires defeated Marvel heroes and took over New York? Marvel Rivals’ season one, Eternal Night, answers that question and more. In a reveal trailer for the first season of the game, Marvel Rivals showed off the four new heroes coming to the game, and it’s none other than the Fantastic Four. Their designs look excellent, as has been the trend with original costumes made for the game. View the full article

A very, very good JRPG is back on the Nintendo Switch e-shop after a brief absence. That means you, yes you at home with a nice pocket of Christmas cash, can grab it right now and have a blast during this depressing January. Read more View the full article

You probably already knew how popular Leon Kennedy was anyway, but if you didn't, Resident Evil 4 remake's speedy sales will probably clue you in. Read more View the full article

Weapon-breaking is a major part of Indiana Jones and the Great Circle's approach to combat, but as luck would have it, there's at least one complete exception to this rule. Although fragile weapons can be a controversial feature in many games, The Great Circle generally makes great use of the concept. Even if a sledgehammer falling apart after a few hits doesn't make very much sense, it adds a lot of impact to the melee, and constantly swapping out weapons makes for an engaging scavenging process and a fun sense of variety. View the full article

One Elden Ring fan has challenged themselves with what most would say is an impossible task: defeating Messmer without getting hit every day until Nightreign releases. The new title was revealed at last year's The Game Awards, coming as quite a surprise considering developer FromSoftware's past comments regarding the franchise. To build up hype, and presumably get some practice in, one fan will be defeating Elden Ring's Messmer until Nightreign is released in 2025. View the full article

Square Enix has published Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth’s PC specs, which are viewable below. It said the PC version of the game includes three default graphics presets and the ability to customize settings. It was announced last month that Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, which hit PS5 in February 2024, will be released for PC on January 23, 2025. Read More... View the full article

VoxeLibre continues advancing towards helping you replace Minecraft with a free and open source alternative. The next release v0.88 is out now and it's a big one. Read the full article here: [Hidden Content] View the full article

Last year we reported on a phenomenon that, frankly, left PC Gamer's editorial team a little baffled. We were in one of our morning meetings when someone shared Banana, a free-to-play game available on Steam where you click on an image of a banana, but what was mind-blowing were the player counts. This was in May 2024 and, at the time, tens of thousands of players were just… clicking away on bananas... Read more.View the full article

This gives us a sizable example of the updated English localization. View the full article

With a style that would have fit right in on something like the Nintendo 64 or the PlayStation 1, the upcoming retro collectathon 3D platformer Kero Quest 64 is coming to Linux and Steam Deck. Read the full article here: [Hidden Content] View the full article