007 First Light will not be releasing on March 27, 2026, according to a statement from developer IO Interactive (IOI). However, fans looking to play the upcoming James Bond title will not have to wait much longer, as IO Interactive confirmed that 007 First Light has only been pushed back by two months. View the full article
A Baldur’s Gate 3 fan has revealed that they have saved $10,000 in real life by playing the game for over a year, in what could be one of the most worthwhile tradeoffs ever. The award-winning turn-based RPG created by Larian Studios has thousands of gameplay possibilities, as not only does its narrative branch, but you can tackle each playthrough differently. For example, on top of what was offered at release, this year saw the release of new subclasses in Baldur’s Gate 3. View the full article
An updated product page for the new RTX 5070 Ti WindForce OC V2 graphics card reveals that it retains most of the specifications of the existing OC SFF model, including the 2, 497 MHz factory boost and 16 GB of 28 Gbps GDDR7 memory on a 256-bit bus. Read Entire Article View the full article
Star Citizen developer Cloud Imperium Games says Squadron 42 has reached a major milestone, describing the game as fully playable from start to finish. The update was shared in the company’s annual year-in-review letter, where CIG also reaffirmed the release window for the long-awaited space combat title, which has been in development alongside Star Citizen for over a decade. View the full article
It’s no stretch to say I wouldn’t possess the privilege of having this job without Vince Zampella. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare changed the way I played games, interacted with them as part of a community, and made me think deeper about level and mission design than I had up to that point in my life. I was fifteen upon its release in 2007, and, although I had enjoyed playing games throughout my childhood up until then, nothing had a stranglehold on me quite like the rhythmic nature of the original Modern Warfare’s multiplayer. For hours on end, I’d run around the tight hallways of Vacant’s disused office block with a shotgun or sit cowardly waiting at one end of Crossfire, hoping someone ran across my sniper-scoped view. You see, I had also been firmly rooted in single-player until now, growing up on a mixture of point and click adventures and Grand Theft Auto (at far too early an age), but it was COD 4 that opened my eyes to this whole other side of gaming that I have grown to love in the years since. Thousands of hours of my life have now been lost to Call of Duty, Rainbow Six Siege, and Overwatch, and I have Vince Zampella to thank for that. Of course, no one man makes a game of the scale of Call of Duty by themselves, but there’s no denying the impact that Zampella had on that particular series and the shooter genre in general over the past two decades. Long before Modern Warfare, unbeknownst to me, he had been shaping my video game tastes for years. A lead designer of Medal of Honor: Allied Assault, he helmed EA’s signature WW2 shooter at a time when cinematic aspirations were a relatively new idea in the medium. Taking cues from Steven Spielberg’s Saving Private Ryan, I’ll never forget the first time I played through its phenomenal Normandy landing sequence on Omaha Beach and how it evokes the terror of that scenario to full effect. That philosophy would then be translated to the series with which Zampella will always be synonymous: Call of Duty (which, in Zampella’s own hilariously blunt words, only exists because “EA were dicks”). Its early entries were fantastic, with 2 being a particular favourite of mine back in 2005. I’d always had a fascination with this ******* in time, with my dad subjecting me to many, many WW2 films as a child — The Great Escape, The Longest Day, The Dambusters, A Bridge Too Far. I’d sit down in front of all of them on a Sunday afternoon (at, again, likely far too young an age), so it was only natural that once I reached my teens, I’d want to experience these battles and behind-enemy-lines missions for myself. I’ll admit, then, that I was sceptical about Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare in the run-up to its release. I’m someone who is naturally wary of change, and I was hesitant to trade in my trusty M1 Garand for an M16. I couldn’t have been more wrong, though, as it would almost instantly become my favourite shooter campaign I’ve ever played — with Titanfall 2, a later Zampella project, the only one to run it close. The way it took those movie-like aspirations into the present day was stunning, turning its lens from the likes of those films my father showed me to discoveries of my own, such as Ridley Scott’s ****** Hawk Down and Body of Lies. The way it placed you in the action was unlike anything I’d played up until then, with the exhilarating opening to Crew Expendable and the explosive crescendo of Shock and Awe just two of its many highlights. And then, of course, there’s All Ghillied Up, which turns each of the campaign’s ideas on its head at its halfway point, in what is still to this day one of video gaming’s most iconic levels. It’s no hyperbole to say that this is one of the missions that opened my eyes to what goes into video game design and what is possible when ideas are taken out of the box and given the freedom to be built upon. It’s such a delicate, balanced piece of work that runs like clockwork, even when you try to mess with its systems, that I couldn’t help but think about how it was constructed. The stealthy crawl for a haunting Pripyat is a masterclass in level design, and credit has to go to Zampella, who was Studio Head at developer Infinity Ward at the time, for encouraging and incubating such creativity. Modern Warfare’s campaign is a landmark in its own right (among many other achievements, it’s also got one of the most memorable blockbuster sequences in gaming history), but when you also add to it, perhaps the most revolutionary multiplayer shooter pre-Fortnite, a package that would set the stage for a series to take over the world, is born. Call of Duty 4’s multiplayer is the first time I can remember engaging with video games online to a great extent. For my sins, I didn’t own an Xbox at the time, so I was late to the Halo party. Instead, Modern Warfare was my gateway into this world, as I began to hoover up anything I could to get better at the game, and watch clips at a skill level I knew in my heart I could never reach. I’d look up meta builds, which felt like a novelty at the time, and engage with wikis and guides on sites like IGN at a time when I had zero aspirations of one day being someone who would pen words there myself. The simple but effective loop of Modern Warfare’s multiplayer opened my eyes to all of this, with its moreish loop of levelling up guns and unlocking attachments, only to prestige and do it all over again, filling most of my after-school evenings. I simply could not stop playing, and didn’t want to, either. Zampella’s influence on me would ring on long after his time on Call of Duty was done, though. After forming Respawn, his work on Titanfall saw its 2016 sequel reach, and some would argue maybe even eclipse, the heights of Modern Warfare’s campaign. The fluidity of its movement, the destructive joy of piloting its many mechs, and, of course, the level design of the likes of Effect and Cause and Into the Abyss are all-timers when it comes to single-player shooters. From that universe, Apex Legends would form. Still, my battle royale of choice captures that Titanfall mobility and combines it with a punchiness to its arsenal of weapons that few can match. And then there’s Star Wars. 2023’s Jedi: Survivor is one of my favourite games to come out in recent years, and fulfilled the promise of its original to fantastic effect, making me feel like I was playing a new Star Wars film, much like the original trilogy my dad also used to show me as a kid in between those WW2 epics. Incidentally, I had been floating the idea of replaying Survivor around in my head over the Christmas break. I now know, I definitely will be. As I said earlier, no one person makes a game of the scale Vince Zampella would be a part of creating by themselves. But there is just no denying the impact that the legendary Call of Duty, Battlefield, Medal of Honor, Titanfall, and Star Wars Jedi developer had on video games in the 21st century. Not only a pioneer when it comes to first-person shooters, but his drive to consistently create cinematic experiences is one that has permeated through the medium for decades now. On a personal level, I’m incredibly grateful. Not only because many of these games have been some of my favourites to play throughout my life, but because if it wasn’t for how much more engaged they made me in them, I likely wouldn’t be lucky enough to enjoy writing about them for a living. To Vince, I say thank you. I may never have got to meet you, but I have loved playing the games you helped create greatly, as I know so many millions of others have too. Simon Cardy is a Senior Editor at IGN who can mainly be found skulking around open world games, indulging in Korean cinema, or despairing at the state of Tottenham Hotspur and the New York Jets. Follow him on Bluesky at @cardy.bsky.social. View the full article
2025 is nearly over, and this year's seen us explore many new locations across VR and mixed reality. Today, we're highlighting some of our favorites. Like last year, we're splitting the UploadVR editorial team's top picks for 2025's best titles across three articles. This first one looks toward the best games across four platforms: Apple Vision Pro, PC VR, PlayStation VR2, and Meta Quest. We're also discussing our top immersive entertainment experiences beyond gaming, too. The next article will focus on mixed reality apps and games, alongside a focus on this year's best uses of hand tracking. Because only fully released games normally count, tomorrow will also include our early access categories. Finally, our last article features our biggest awards for 2025. In line with last year, this includes the Best VR Game Of The Year across any platform, Best VR Hardware, Best Developer, Best Multiplayer, Best Virtual Place, and Most Anticipated VR Game for 2026. So, let's begin with the first round for our best of 2025 awards. Best Exploratory Experience 2025's been another eye-opener in how filmmakers use immersive tech to deliver compelling narratives. On Apple Vision Pro in particular, Apple Immersive Video saw projects like the Metallica concert experience, Bono: Stories of Surrender, MotoGP Tour De Force, and D-Day: The Camera Soldier. Some experiences touch upon heavier themes: The Reality of Hope used VRChat to cover a life-saving friendship, Reflections of Little Red Dot examined Singapore's history, while Soul Paint encourages introspection. Other notable projects include Touching The Sky, Alien Perspective, and ****** Cats & Chequered Flags. This year's award goes to The Clouds Are Two Thousand Meters Up, a free-roaming VR experience based on a Taiwanese short story. While you can't influence what happens, most scenes are fully explorable as you witness the narrative unfold. It feels like walking into a movie, going that extra immersive mile while backing that up with a compelling narrative. Favorite New Apple Vision Pro Game Apple developers only started supporting tracked controllers near the end of 2025 as games like Pickle Pro started supporting the input method. Big name title Glassbreakers made its way to Apple Vision Pro in 2025, alongside the winner of Apple's own selection for best of the year, puzzler Porta Nubi. Gears & Goo from Resolution Games is our winner for Best New Apple Vision Pro Game. Resolution's developers adapted tower defense to Apple's gaze and pinch interface with a challenging multi-hour campaign, and we'd love to see more Gears & Goo in the future. Favorite New Quest Game Even without a new Quest headset launch, this year certainly hasn't lacked for games across Meta's standalone ecosystem. Many of 2025's best Quest games left it late. Alongside big names like Marvel’s Deadpool VR and Thief VR, these last few months also saw Glassbreakers, Arken Age, Hotel Infinity, Reach, Of Lies and Rain, Demeo x D&D, Titan Isles, and Memoreum arrive. Still, Alien: Rogue Incursion, Pixel Dungeon, and GORN 2 ensured the rest of the year had its fill too. There can only be one winner, and Ghost Town is 2025's Quest Game of the Year. Fireproof Games delivered what we considered to be an “utterly engrossing supernatural VR adventure” with strong gameplay design and some of the best visuals we've seen yet on Quest 3. It's a highly worthy follow-up to Fireproof's previous hit, The Room VR: A Dark Matter, and we'd dearly love to see more of this world in the future. Favorite New PC VR Game All eyes might be on Valve with next year's Steam Frame launch, but 2025's still seen some great PC VR releases. Leading a handful of exclusives were Vertigo 2: Into The Aether, BattleGroupVR2, and Lushfoil Photography Sim. They were joined by multiplatform hits like Of Lies and Rain, Lumines Arise, Demeo x D&D, Arken Age, Reach, Thief VR, Ghost Town, and The Midnight Walk. That's before mentioning slightly older games coming to PC VR like Vendetta Forever, Zero Caliber 2, and Dungeons of Eternity. For 2025, Roboquest VR is our PC VR Game of the Year. Flat2VR Studios' exhilarating conversion of RyseUp Studios' 2023 FPS roguelite feels like it was natively designed for the platform, and we called it “an instant classic” in our review. Favorite New PlayStation VR2 Game It's another year when PlayStation VR2 relied on third party publishers - Climate Station aside - and the hits continued coming. 2025 provided a strong library like Hitman, Maestro, Of Lies and Rain, Demeo x D&D, Reach, Lumines Arise, UNDERDOGS, and Roboquest VR. We're also not forgetting Wanderer: The Fragments of Fate, which has gradually improved with updates. For 2025, Arken Age is our PlayStation VR2 Game of the Year. VitruviusVR delivered a strong sci-fi action-adventure with tactile VR-first gameplay design. While it's also a solid PC VR and Quest 3 game, Arken Age benefits from Sony's headset with strong haptic feedback and PS5 Pro enhancements. Our appView the full article
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is easily the most successful and popular RPG to release this year, going on to take the crown with its GOTY win at this year's The Game Awards and winning various other categories as well, such as Best Art Direction, Best RPG, etc. However, based on recent interviews, players might get their hands on a new Clair Obscur game much sooner than they thought. View the full article
After first unveiling in June, IO Interactive has shown the first gameplay for their upcoming James Bond game, 007 First Light. Update – December 23, 2025: IO Interactive announced that 007 First Light has been delayed from March 27th to May 27th, 2026. The original article from September below has been updated with the new release date. According to IO Interactive, here’s what the game is about: This unique, standalone original story has been created by the passionate development team at IO Interactive. In 007 First Light, players will step into the shoes of a young Bond, a promising yet rebellious Royal Navy air crewman who is recruited into MI6. His sharp instincts and heroism in combat propel him into the agency’s rigorous training program for the once revered, and newly resurrected, elite 00 section. In the gameplay video, we can see a walkthrough of what is most likely an early mission in the game. Some of the game’s mechanics are very similar to IO’s Hitman series, such as blending in, stealth hiding, and Instinct Mode, so you can see enemies and ways to enter certain areas. [Hidden Content] It wouldn’t be a James Bond game if you didn’t have gadgets, and the game has plenty, such as shockwave camera, smoke pods, dart phone, hack watch and more. [Hidden Content] Stepping into the role of James Bond is Patrick Gibson; also in the game are M (played by Priyanga Burford), Q (played by Alastair Mackenzie), Miss Moneypenny (played by Kiera Lester), John Greenway (played by Lennie James), and Miss Roth (played by Noemie Nakai). [Hidden Content] 007 First Light Cast “With 007 First Light, we’re building a wholly original James Bond experience from the ground up, one that blends the sharp tension of espionage with the bold spectacle the franchise is known for. The gameplay is rooted in our signature approach to immersive design, combining stealth, action, and creativity in a way that feels uniquely tailored to Bond,” said Hakan Abrak, CEO of IO Interactive. In addition to the gameplay reveal, IO Interactive has also given a release date for the game. 007 First Light is launching on May 27th, 2026 (previously March 27th, 2026), for Xbox Series X & S, PS5, Nintendo Switch 2 and PC (Steam and Epic Games). The standard version of the game will retail for $89.99 CAD ($69.99 USD). The Deluxe Edition will go for $99.99 CAD ($79.99 USD), which gets you the game, 4 exclusive outfits inspired by the films, a new weapon skin, the gleaming skin pack and 24 hours of early access. [Hidden Content] The 007 First Light – Specialist Edition, which is an Amazon exclusive, has a unique cover art and an exclusive original outfit for Bond, the Classic Tux, and it’ll cost $99.99 CAD ($79.99 USD). Lastly, there’s the 007 First Light – Legacy Edition for $299 USD, which includes the game, Deluxe Edition content, an Exclusive Golden Gun weapon skin, the Obsidian Gold Suit outfit, a Golden Gun Figurine with Stand & Secret Compartment, a Certificate of Authenticity, and a Steel Case with Magnet. [Hidden Content] If you pre-order the game, you’ll get upgraded to the Deluxe Edition of the game for free. Source: IO Interactive View the full article
Ever heard of My Summer Car? This aging gem of a game was made by a solo dev with the help of his wife and some friends, and was inspired by his childhood. The game now holds nostalgic meaning to thousands of gamers who enjoyed the punishing experience. If you were around for that, you might not know that a sequel is well on its way. My Winter Car Image via Amistech Games The follow-up to the charming (and supremely infuriating) My Summer Car is called My Winter Car, and we can be sure we'll have more beer-drinking, sausage-eating shenanigans to look forward to. As well as another immensely complicated car to build from scratch. The game is slated for release in December 2025, but at this point, we might well be facing a delay, as the year is almost over. Still, that doesn't mean we might still get it sometime this winter, and to me, it would be the perfect game to fight the winter blues and have another grand time in the beautiful Finnish landscapes. But why am I so eager for this game – Myself and 18,000 other followers? I'll explain. My Summer Car Explained Image via Amistech Games I first came across this game via YouTuber GrayStillPlays, and it looked genuinely hilarious. I picked it up and thought that I'd watched enough videos to know what to do. Boy, was I wrong. You see, this game has a form of permadeath that was really brutal. No matter how far you are, no matter how much work you've done on your car, ******, and it's all over. Yeah, you literally need to start from scratch. And by ******, I don't mean taking a turn at 90 miles per hour and hitting a tree dead on, no. Gently tap a fence at two miles per hour, and it's tickets. The vehicles in this game must have a safety rating of negative 9000 or something. There are also a couple of 'rivals' who speed around the map, largely ignoring road rules. So even if you're being super careful, one of these morons could come speeding around a corner at any time and end your run for you. Don't worry, though; there are many ways to save your progress now. Gone are the days of ultimate brutality, though that option is still there if you prefer. Then there's the insane complexity of actually building up your car. You find it in the garage in pieces, and you have to put it all together again without a manual or help of any kind, really. Make the simple mistake of connecting the battery incorrectly, and that's it, back to the start with your now crispy fried ****. Yeah, this is one game in which looking up a guide really is not a gaming sin. I know I did. The map itself also has so much to discover, and you'll even end up driving a sewage truck and pumping septic tanks for an income at some point, all on a diet of beer and sausages. It's funny, it's challenging, and, most importantly, it's incredibly fun. If you haven't yet, I highly recommend you check out My Summer Car, so you can get as excited as I am about My Winter Car. With the release schedule as slow as it is over the holidays, this would be an absolute Godsend. Ever played My Summer Car, Destructoid? If so, what was your fondest experience? I'd love to hear from you in the comments. The post This obscure little game might just save us from winter depression appeared first on Destructoid. View the full article
The first full year of Marvel Rivals was an impressive one in a number of metrics, but according to the developers working on the free-to-play hero shooter, the game is only beginning. Looking back on its first year, Marvel Rivals delivered a lot of content. Whether it's MCU-based skins in partnership with Fantastic Four: First Steps, limited-time events with free rewards, or a shocking amount of new heroes, a tough precedent has been set. But Marvel and NetEase Games are not resting anytime soon. Screenshot by Destructoid "2025 was more of a warm-up ******* for us," Marvel Games executive producer Danny Koo said in an interview with Den of Geek. "Next year, we’re going to have ******* plans. We’re not going to slow down. We’ve already planned more than a year ahead and I can’t wait for our players to see it." In just one year, Marvel Rivals already has the same number of playable characters as another hero shooter, Overwatch 2, after adding 12 to the game in 2025. That number will be surpassed quickly as Deadpool joins the roster in January, followed by Elsa Bloodstone in February, and another new hero every single month for the foreseeable future. This is going to be tough to balance, but I can't deny that this cadence keeps me coming back consistently. And according to publisher NetEase Games' publishing and marketing lead, Yachen Bian, 2026 will include more playable experiences to supplement the characters on offer. "In the next year, we want to provide more game modes," Bian said. "It’s why we have prototypes in the game, like PvE and 18v18. We want to give the players more choices of different game modes beyond the basic gameplay because your fundamental experience might be very different. When you’re fighting against zombies, it’s quite different from fighting against other people." The first year of Rivals already included several new modes like Marvel Zombies PvE mode, a Times Square social space, and even a PvP auto-battler mode, so if there's more in the works, I and many others will likely be continuing to log in and play some games occasionally for a long time to come. [Hidden Content] With 2026 boasting the potential for more PvE experiences, popular and iconic heroes like Deadpool joining the roster, the launch of a new esports model, and further MCU partnerships likely in the pipeline (Spider-Man: Brand New Day launches in August, followed by Avengers: Doomsday in December), maybe they really are just getting started. The post Marvel Rivals’ successful and content-packed first year was just ‘a warm-up,’ executive producer teases appeared first on Destructoid. View the full article
About 15 years ago, I was a college student studying journalism and quickly losing my way. I was taking courses on how to become a beat cop writer, calling precincts about petty crimes and writing for newspapers, a dying medium. I had another course writing for broadcast journalism, which is somehow almost an entirely different language from what I had studied in the past. I hated it. I felt totally lost. Image via Activision So, I went to my student advisor and asked for help. She simply asked me what I enjoyed, and to write about what I knew. Well, at the time, all I really knew was Call of Duty because I was playing a whole hell of a lot of it. And so that's where it all started for me. I spent the next year or so working on a 10,000-word magazine piece-style senior project (think of it as a thesis) that propelled me into something way greater than me. I found my senior project on my hard drive, and it honestly holds up pretty well. The theme of the project (titled Answering the Call: Inside a Pop Culture Phenomenon) was CoD's wide reach as a popular game that went outside of the game experience, even all the way back then in 2010. Over the course of the year, I interviewed an esports competitor who became a friend, a journalist whom I looked up to, a couple who met on CoD and ended up getting married, and numerous others. But one of the many things that drew me to the project was an ongoing lawsuit at the time between Activision and Infinity Ward co-founders Vince Zampella and Jason West. And in the process of writing about all of these things, interviewing people, and researching the franchise that I'd already sunk countless hours into, I found my passion and realized that my future was in writing about video games. And now today, many years later and after countless challenges and hardships, on my final working day of the year, I'm celebrating the most rewarding year of my games journalism career at Destructoid. I've had more fun in the past nine months of writing for this website than I thought was possible. But it also comes with great sadness as I and many others are mourning the sudden loss of the great Zampella, one of the CoD franchise's creators and a visionary in the FPS genre. Photo via Getty Zampella passed away in a car accident on Dec. 21, leaving behind a legacy of greatness. Call of Duty, Call of Duty 2, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, Titanfall, Apex Legends, Star Wars Jedi, Battlefield 6. Legendary gaming moments like "No Russian," General Shepard's betrayal, or the bond between Jack Cooper and his Titan, BT-7274. He was an architect behind it all. But in today's somber reflection, I've realized he was also the architect of my career. He was not only the architect of one of the most successful franchises in history, but of friendships and love stories that will last forever. In his iconic games, he created jobs, worlds, and universes that will survive longer than any of us. Everything I've done this year, including traveling to industry events, reviewing over a dozen games, and interviewing many passionate developers, there's a good chance none of that would have happened without Zampella's work. And that's without even really delving into how deep his impact on gaming itself has been. Call of Duty's massive success over the past 20 years helped shape the industry into what it became. Titanfall 2 is one of my favorite single-player FPS campaigns of all time. Apex Legends was an excellent extension and memorable highlight of the battle royale craze. The Star Wars Jedi games are a critically acclaimed handling of one of the most loved and respected IP ever. And his last title, Battlefield 6, reinvigorated the franchise to become one of the top-selling games of 2025. Image via EA Zampella's impact can't truly be quantified today, just a few days after his untimely passing. For now, we can say that he helped craft modern-day FPS games as we know them. But strictly speaking for myself, although I never had the pleasure of meeting or speaking with him, I'm quickly realizing just how much he and his work have meant to me and millions of others, on so many levels. And so, I would just like to say thank you for all of this. The post If not for Vince Zampella and his work, I would not have found my career in gaming journalism appeared first on Destructoid. View the full article
Look, not all games can be great. In fact, many of them are not good, and some even fail to be simply okay. If you’re looking for all things good and great, then check out our list of the best-reviewed games of 2025. But this place, sadly, is not where they live. No, this is where I have the job of reminding you of all of the worst games we played this year. The ones that didn’t quite live up to expectations and received a score of five or below from IGN reviewers. Maybe you did enjoy some of these, and to that I say, all the power to you. Let us know in the comments which games featured on this list you did actually love playing. But before you scroll all the way down there, let’s talk about IGN’s worst-reviewed games of 2025. 5 - Mediocre What better way to kick this off than with a welcome tour? A Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour, to be exact. A collection of minigames and digital museum displays designed to give you a better idea of the tech powering your new Nintendo console, this one just ended up committing a criminal cardinal sin by Nintendo standards — it just wasn’t fun. Our review described this “interactive brochure” as “a muddled collection of quaint tech demos and boring factoids”. Not exactly the best way to get everyone excited about a new generation of hardware, was it? And it didn’t even come packaged with the console. A standalone purchase isn’t exactly the best way to deliver your new spin on a digital manual. At least the tech being shown off in Welcome Tour is very impressive, though, which sadly couldn’t be said for Kaiserpunk. A city-builder that, unfortunately, suffered from significant performance issues at launch, ranging from “huge, save-killing bugs” to an interface that lacks “fairly basic functionality”, it provided unsolid foundations to build any metropolis on. If a fully-built sci-fi city is more your vibe, then maybe you could be tempted by Steel Seed, an action-platform dripping in neon. But when we tell you that it’s actually a “stealth action game cursed by mediocrity”, then maybe you’ll be less interested. Hence, the five out of ten rating, which stands for “mediocre” here at IGN. Along those lines, if “30 mediocre hours of dodge rolling and sword swinging” sounds appealing, then maybe you want to check out AI Limit. A “soulslike without any soul”, this one just lacked the sort of creativity you’d hope for in what’s become a fairly played-out genre these days. Speaking of souls, Lost Soul Aside was a hotly anticipated PlayStation console exclusive this summer, which sadly didn’t quite live up to the hype. While it did come packed with some exciting combat, unfortunately, “repetitive story, derivative characters, and bland level design” couldn’t support it. Another game that fell foul of repetition was Full Metal Schoolgirl, which you may not instantly see as a negative when considering it's an action roguelike — a genre grounded in attempting the same objectives over and over again — but when you hear that after “a couple runs, you've pretty much seen it all”, that isn’t ideal. Feeling like we’d pretty much seen it all before is exactly why we gave the Battlefield 6 campaign a score of five, too. As our shockingly handsome reviewer said, the single-player offering is a “safe, dull reimagining of what Battlefield once was, rather than a bold reinvention of what it could be”, and I, for one, agree with him. It’s a short string of missions that doesn’t embrace the chaos naturally created in Battlefield 6’s multiplayer, instead feeling like a relic of a bygone age of FPSs. We also gave this year’s Call of Duty ****** Ops 7 campaign a less-than-shiny score, too, but it narrowly misses out on making this list due to us giving it a 6, because it at least tries to do something new, even if it isn’t very successful. Now we head into the remaster, reboot, and reimagining section of proceedings. Yooka-Replayee aimed to bring the 2017 original into the modern day with some tweaks, but while improvements were made, we were of the opinion that “none of its changes do enough to bring it close to the 3D platforming standards of today”. Double Dragon Revive attempted to breathe new life into the classic side-scrolling beat ‘em up, but ended up feeling “less a miraculous resurrection and more like exhuming a shambling corpse”. Similar things could be said for Painkiller, a reboot of People Can Fly’s 2004 cult-favourite, which again fell short, instead playing like a “mediocre resurrection of a classic trying to put a new cover on an old book and hoping it still has some relevance 21 years later”. Shadow Labyrinth did at least attempt to take something incredibly old and do something new with it. Unfortunately, this gritty, Metroidvania reinvention of Pac-Man was deemed to be “largely dull,” with crimes ranging from “annoying checkpointing to the one-note combat”. There is no shortage of checkpoints in racing games. Sorry, that’s the best segue I have for this one. Project Motor Racing is the most recent game we have on our list to score a five or below, as it failed to excite our reviewer, who said that “there are certainly glimpses of a competent racing sim here, but it is drastically unfinished”. On the other end of the racing spectrum was Wreckreation, not in terms of quality, as it also received a five, but in its very “arcadey” approach to action of four wheels. Disappointingly, it just didn’t reach the heights of the likes of its Burnout inspiration. Instead, “overflowing with ambition but ultimately plain and with no style to call its own, Wreckreation feels like a supermarket brand homage to a series of better arcade racers.” Let’s head into fantasy corner now and take a look at those sword-swinging games that just weren’t quite sharp enough this year. Yasha: Legends of the ****** Blade was yet another action roguelite to come out in 2025, but one that didn’t leave much of an impression, thanks to “repetitive levels and a flimsy story”. Blades of Fire took an interesting approach to third-person action by placing an emphasis on creating your own bespoke swords through an involved blacksmithing process, which was admittedly quite good, but its “overly simplistic combat and a mediocre story mean it doesn’t forge a sharp enough edge to put its customizable weapons to good use”. And, finally, rounding out our list of games that received a review score of five from IGN this year, is Game of Thrones: Kingsroad. A microtransaction-riddled interpretation of George R.R. Martin’s world, in which the recreation of HBO’s visual style is admittedly impressively done, it’s unfortunately hampered “by an overly grindy, pay-to-win live service model, and both its combat and homestead management are too tedious to keep things interesting on their own”. 4 - Bad Heading into the games that got a four, which represents “bad” on the IGN review scale, let’s stick with another beloved piece of fantasy literature that struggles to produce good video game adaptations. Tales of the Shire: A The Lord of the Rings Game was an attempt to “cosify” Tolkien’s world and asked the age-old question, “What if Animal Crossing, but Hobbits?”. The answer, sadly, was a resounding “no”, as we described it as “a promising idea that turned out dreadfully boring and extremely buggy”. Arguably, no other game arrived with as heavy a thud as MindsEye did in 2025. The brainchild of former GTA dev, Leslie Benzies, this throwback third-person action-adventure was not only incredibly dull, but borderline broken. Sure, it looked like a blockbuster when viewed from a very specific, narrow angle, but on the whole, it failed to live up to any expectations that may have been held for it. “MindsEye’s flashy graphics and cinematics can’t hide its serious lack of substance and major performance problems”, says our review, and that tells you all you need to know. To round things off, we have a handful of early access games that we gave a score of four to this year. These include Hyper Light Breaker, which we described as a “roguelite that currently feels hyper light on content and the wrong kind of broken”, and La Quimera, an “FPS version of a direct-to-video movie, with dialogue that is both poorly written and badly acted, middling combat, and an unfinished campaign”. Then there was EA’s reboot of Skate, which we called a “faithful facsimile of the incredible feel of the old games, but its mobile game-style progression, dud dialogue, and cutesy art style make its early access debut drastically inferior to the originals in all other ways”. Unfortunately for Hyper Light Breaker, similar responses from both other critics and players eventually led to developer Heart Machine bringing development to a close. As for the other two, they remain developing projects, so let’s hope that these games fix their respective issues and have a better time in 2026 in the run-up to their full launches. And that’s it, all of the games that we at IGN scored a five or four out of ten this year. Believe it or not, nothing actually scored lower, so I’m glad to say there are no twos or threes to report this year. Did you actually love any of the games listed here? Let us know in the comments. For more, check out the best-reviewed games of 2025, and our game of the year awards. Simon Cardy is a Senior Editor at IGN who can mainly be found skulking around open world games, indulging in Korean cinema, or despairing at the state of Tottenham Hotspur and the New York Jets. Follow him on Bluesky at @cardy.bsky.social. View the full article
Outside of a trip to London in 1997, Grand Theft Auto has always stuck to fictional analogues of American cities for its settings. But there is a reality where Rockstar's hugely successful crime epic is as globetrotting as Assassin's Creed. According to Rockstar North's former technical director Obbe Vermeij, the company toyed with numerous international locations at various moments in its history. And at one point, we very nearly had a Grand Theft Auto set in Japan... Read more.View the full article
CD Projekt Red creative director Igor Sarzyński has just debunked one of the oldest fan theories in Cyberpunk 2077 history. Unlike many of the fan theories surrounding Cyberpunk 2077, this one has nothing to do with the game's narrative or its characters, but instead revolves around something as simple as Cyberpunk 2077's elevators. View the full article
I've thought about Fallout 4 in a lot of different ways since first playing it ten years ago. On its release, I thought it was the weakest Fallout game, lacking the roleplaying depth of its forebears. But a recent replay helped me see its strengths as a survivalist shooter. There's a lot to love about its depiction of post-nuclear Boston if you're willing to overlook the fact that you solve most problems with a gun... Read more.View the full article
Weapons in Jujutsu Zero are hidden behind the Forager NPC found on top of a mountain as you'll see in the video below. They also have a really low drop chance from Special Grade chests you find in the open world. Here's how to get Weapons in Jujutsu Zero. Table of contentsHow to Craft Weapons in Jujutsu ZeroDragon Bone GuideInverted Spear of Heaven GuideHow to Craft Weapons in Jujutsu Zero To craft weapons in Jujutsu Zero you have to talk to the Forager NPC at the top of the mountain as shown in the video above. Weapons also have an abysmally low drop chance from chests you find in the open world. As for the regular obtainment method, my video above will show you how to get to Forager starting from the Fast Travel point near the original village spawn. Simply follow my path to reach Forager and then talk to him. To craft weapons you'll need to: Talk to Forager at the top of the mountain.Be Level 300+.Choose the weapon you want to craft from his dialogue options.Get the materials necessary (See below for each weapon).You can also upgrade weapons by getting additional copies of the same weapon the same as upgrading Cursed Techniques. Image by Destructoid Now that you know the basics of crafting weapons here's all the info you need for each weapon including crafting materials and how to get them. Related: Jujutsu Zero Cursed Technique Tier List Dragon Bone Guide Image by Destructoid Here's everything you need to know about the Dragon Bone weapon in Jujutsu Zero: You need 3 Heavenly Fragments to craft Dragon Bone or you can get it via Special Grade chests in the open world as a small chance drop.Heavenly Fragments can drop from Grade 3-Special chests found in the open world as well as Volcanic (2.1% drop) and Flame crates (1.6% drop) you get from doing Jogo Raids on any difficulty.The Dragon Bone Weapon gives you a +20% ATK increase and +35% Critical Damage increase at max upgrade (Upgrade by getting a copy of the same weapon) as well as CDR% and CR% as a passive.Here are all the moves from the Dragon Bone which you get by increasing its Mastery (Farm the Level 1 mission for Mastery):F (Block): Spin the weapon forward blocking all attacks.R (Slash): Perform an AOE damage slash around you.C (Dash): Perform a slashing dash forward, damaging everything in a line in front of you and moving yourself forward slightly.Inverted Spear of Heaven Guide Image by Destructoid Here's everything you need to know about the Heavenly Spear or Inverted Spear of Heaven weapon in Jujutsu Zero: You need 3 Heavenly Fragments and 3 Cursed Iron to craft the Inverted Spear of Heaven or you can get it via Special Grade chests in the open world as a small chance drop.Heavenly Fragments can drop from Grade 3-Special chests found in the open world as well as Volcanic (2.1% drop) and Flame crates (1.6% drop) you get from doing Jogo Raids on any difficulty.Cursed Iron is currently unobtainable so it cannot be crafted (Seems we can only get it via world chest drops with an abysmally low drop chance).The Inverted Spear of Heaven gives you a +20% ATK increase and +35% Critical Damage increase at max upgrade (Upgrade by getting a copy of the same weapon).Here are all the moves from the ISOH which you get by increasing its Mastery (Farm the Level 1 mission for Mastery):R (Sharp Whirls): Dash forward performing a 5-hit combo of slashes.F (Heavenly Blitz): Dash forward performing a series of teleporting slashes ending with a small AOE smash attack at the point you dashed to.C (Divine Slash): Slash forward and shoot out a line shockwave ranged attack at medium range. That's it for my guide on how to get weapons in Jujutsu Zero. Check out our Jujutsu Zero codes for a bunch of free goodies. The post How to Get Weapons in Jujutsu Zero – Locations & Crafting appeared first on Destructoid. View the full article
The Division 2 Y7S3 Mutiny Week 4 Manhunt has finally had its first HVT of the season to hunt, and doing so is necessary if you're looking to complete Scout 4 objectives. Taking down the HVT is pretty much necessary if you're planning to take down the Manhunt target that will appear in the Mutiny finale. This guide will help you complete all the steps that are part of the Scout 4 operations. Table of contentsThe Division 2 Y7S3 Mutiny Week 4 Mannhunt HVT guideComplete a hostage rescueComplete Jefferson PlazaComplete the Major BunglerThe Division 2 Y7S3 Mutiny Week 4 Mannhunt HVT guide Scout 4 operations begin with a specific set of clues that will be visible after you activate it. Here's what the set of hints suggests. "A group of former JTF personnel have been captured. Intel suggests Major Bungler might be involved.""Major Bungler has ordered extra troops to Jefferson Plaza to crack down on defections.""Reports indicate that Major Bungler is in Southwest." While your task is to decode these hints, the following steps will make things easier for you. Image via Ubisoft Complete a hostage rescue The first task of Mutiny Week 4 Manhunt requires you to find an activity marked with a green handcuff symbol. You'll only find this symbol once you take control of every Control Point in a district. Go to the location and clear all hostiles. You'll get a random key drop from an enemy, which will open a door (highlighted once you clear all enemies). Use the key to spare the hostages, and this completes the first objective. Complete Jefferson Plaza Image via Ubisoft The next task is to clear the Jefferson Plaza of any difficulty of your liking. Located in the Southwest part of the DC map, you'll find a stairs leading down to a metro station under the ground. Start the main mission available at this location at any difficulty to get more information about the HVT to take down. If you want to get this done quickly, your best bet is to lower the difficulty. Complete the Major Bungler The last challenge will pit you against Major Bungler. He is the first HVT of the Y7S3 Manhunt campaign, and you can find him in the southwest district. You'll first have to begin the Bounty and withstand three waves of enemies. Major Bungler will then appear, carrying a lot of arsenal. You should target the weapons at first since they can break. This will make the fight easier for you to manage. You can also use your companions to help you clear the reinforcements without having to do it by yourself. Once done, you will receive an audio transmission. This transmission will reveal an interesting story plot that I will not spoil. Completing it will bring you one step closer to completing the seasonal finale. The post The Division 2 Y7S3 Mutiny Week 4 Manhunt HVT: Scout 4 solutions appeared first on Destructoid. View the full article
Grand Theft Auto 6 is one of the most ambitious open-world projects ever developed, and Rockstar Games and Take-Two Interactive are certainly making some huge promises. With only limited information about GTA 6 being available, players are left speculating on everything from the gameplay itself to the size/scale of its open world. View the full article
PCG recently reported on what our own Jody Macgregor called a "humdinger" of a Fallout: New Vegas discovery: a pre-release build of the game from a month before it went on-*****. The find was made by a new YouTube channel called Games' Past, and is two gigabytes larger than the release version of New Vegas and filled with cut or altered content that the team has been slowly teasing out... Read more.View the full article
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A Baldur’s Gate 3 fan has revealed that they have saved $10,000 in real life by playing the game for over a year, in what could be one of the most worthwhile tradeoffs ever. The award-winning turn-based RPG created by Larian Studios has thousands of gameplay possibilities, as not only does its narrative branch, but you can tackle each playthrough differently. For example, on top of what was offered at release, this year saw the release of new subclasses in Baldur’s Gate 3. View the full article