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It's no secret that Western games development is in the doldrums: the industry has laid off over 45,000 jobs since the COVID bubble burst in 2022, and publishers and studios are scrambling for ways to adapt to rising costs and shifting player priorities. Meanwhile, viral hits from smaller teams—ranging from Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 through to Peak—make those billion-dollar companies look old hat, almost like dinosaurs (though it's also true that neither were made by a company whose CEO makes more than $29,000,000 in a year)... Read more.View the full article

Ninja Gaiden 4 and Evil West are now playable via Xbox Game Pass. These are the 57th and 58th new additions to the PC and Ultimate tiers of Microsoft's subscription service in October 2025, with Evil West being unusual in that it arrived on Xbox Game Pass a bit earlier than initially announced. View the full article

Unsurprisingly, players can catch the original Pokemon X and Y legendary trio in Legends Z-A - here's how View the full article

Ninja Gaiden 4 has some nice goodies on offer for all, and you can get them pretty early in the game. However, you'll have to clear a fair amount of in-game content before gaining access to it. If you have just started playing and are missing the items, this guide will help you out. Table of contentsHow to access your Deluxe Edition and Pre-Order bonuses in Ninja Gaiden 4All Deluxe Edition and Pre-Order bonus items in Ninja Gaiden 4How to access your Deluxe Edition and Pre-Order bonuses in Ninja Gaiden 4 To gain access to your freebies, you'll need to reach a DarkNest Terminal. These terminals are spread all across Tokyo, but the first one takes a bit of time. First, clear the tutorial on the running train by eliminating all the enemies. Next, make your way into the city by following the main campaign.There will be a few isolated enemies on the way, and they should be pretty easy to take down.Keep following the path, and you'll be introduced to a character called Umi.She will then guide you to the first DarkNest Terminal. As this is part of the campaign, it's impossible to miss this step.The third option on the terminal allows you to receive all the accrued content. Screenshot by Destructoid Then, go to your inventory, and you'll find the items there. You can equip the alternate skin to make your suit and/or blades appear different. The consumables can be preserved for later when you'll need them. All the items will remain in your inventory (consumables will be over once you use them). All Deluxe Edition and Pre-Order bonus items in Ninja Gaiden 4 Here's a list of all the items that you'll get if you purchase the Deluxe Edition. Two Ryu skinsTwo Ryu weapon skinsTwo Yakumo skinsTwo Yakumo weapon skin sets Here's the pre-order bonus that you get if you purchase Ninja Gaiden 4 before its release. Dark Dragon Descendant Yakumo skin The pre-order bonus is available on all editions as long as you buy them before Ninja Gaiden 4 goes live worldwide. Like our content? Set Destructoid as a Preferred Source on Google in just one step to ensure you see us more frequently in your Google searches! The post How to get your Pre-Order and Deluxe Edition rewards in Ninja Gaiden 4 appeared first on Destructoid. View the full article

Ninja Gaiden 4 comes after more than a decade since the third game became available on PC and console, and the wait seems to have been well worth it. With so many changes in hardware and technology since 2012, I started playing with an open mind, with the plan of assessing the fourth mainline entry on its own merits (and demerits, if any). Ninja Gaiden 4 marks the return of the franchise to its roots and picks up from where the third game ends. It features the same high-octane hack-and-slash gameplay that has been a staple for the franchise. There are also plenty of new features like more playable characters, fresh combos, and a new fighting system. It’s a blend of the classic characteristics and innovative features that make the gameplay feel different (in a good way, of course). Ninja Gaiden 4 is a tale unlike anything the series has offered us When Ninja Gaiden 4 was revealed for the first time, I felt a bit let down by the premise, but it surprised me. Instead of taking you slowly through the basics, you’re placed in Yakumo’s boots, who finds himself on a train. At first, it’s a single enemy, and soon turns into a full wave of cybernetic ninjas. This is typically what you’ll be experiencing for large parts of Ninja Gaiden 4. In true hack-and-slash style, every strike of the blade sees streaks of blood (and body parts) as you chop down your enemies. The overall experience only gets more intense as you progress through the campaign. Screenshot by Destructoid Even in these early stages, there are already a few moments of brilliance that wholly captured my attention. There are adrenaline-pumping moments throughout the story, as most of the fights tend to be quite intense. All of this naturally builds into the central lore that dictates what you have to do as Yakumo in his pursuit to save Tokyo. After all, this isn’t your typical Tokyo, where everything is fit and fine. Instead, an endless rain of miasma has blanketed the entire city, leading to its ruin. It’s up to you as Yakumo (and later as Ryu) to save the city from the hands of cybernetic ninjas and creatures that will try to thwart your attempts to beat the curse that caused everything. Blood and Gore is just one side of Ninja Gaiden 4's finesse There’s a fine line between gory hack-and-slash action without any context and a well-thought-out product that covers all areas. Ninja Gaiden 4 falls in the latter due to its narrative-driven campaign. While I am still on my journey to reach the end, the story and its characters bring the game to life. I am always skeptical when a franchise tries to move on from a protagonist who helped it reach its heights. Team Ninja couldn’t have played their cards better with the partial transition from Ryu Hayabusa to Yakumo. While Ryu still retains his place as a playable character, you’ll be spending a lot of time as his young prodigy, Yakumo. Whether it’s his character design or the acting, Yakumo has been a stellar addition to the story. Don’t get me wrong – Ryu could still be your favorite, but the new kid certainly does well. Screenshot via Team Ninja I have a bad habit of skipping through story content and cutscenes, and with Ninja Gaiden 4, the urge was strong. After all, who can resist the hunger to decimate your enemies and chop them with your blade all the time? Yet, I would highly recommend anyone to be patient with the story and how it develops. The campaign's direction and momentum feel organic. At no moment did I feel that my immersion was broken by either the acting or the script. Every sentence feels well thought out. This is also a massive reason why I felt deeply connected with both Ryu and Yakumo. However, I will add that the overall pace, on a few occasions, felt a tad slow, but that could just be me, and I am willing to overlook that. The missions are well-planned, and each area is designed to feel unique, which it easily pulls off, along with a great variation in enemies. Sometimes, you’ll take down isolated enemies, and other times a horde of cybernetic ninja falls on your head, making your life very difficult indeed. The three difficulties all offer unique experiences, as well. Play at the lowest, and you turn into a hack-and-slash god. You can also unlock auto-blocks if you want the full power trip, harnessing the brutal strength of a Ninja. You become a chopping machine who can spend endless hours dismembering enemies. Play at the highest, and the game becomes absolutely brutal. You’ll have to pay attention to every enemy and aim properly. You’ll have to isolate enemies to avoid taking hits from one while taking down another. Combos become almost mandatory to do maximum damage, while mastering defense is key. I found this to be quite fascinating; different difficulties are meant to offer separate experiences. With Ninja Gaiden 4, it feels like a different video game. This is a big compliment in my books, as there’s something for all. In-game progression is also not only about mastering your combos and learning the art of defense. You can also unlock new moves by investing in-game resources for new ways to take down enemies. I won’t necessarily call it a build, but there’s enough scope for you to make tweaks if you like that sort of thing. It just gets so much right And so, Ninja Gaiden 4 does everything you would want an action game to do. It provides high-octane action in almost every moment as you progress towards your main goal. There’s a lot of freedom in how you want to play, and the different moves and abilities ensure that there’s replayability. The strong gameplay is well backed by the story and excellent acting from the characters. Team Ninja hasn’t reinvented the wheel, and they also didn’t have to. They have included all the staple features of the franchise, but also ensured that things feel fresh for the modern-day gamer. Be it via better graphics or new additions, you get to enjoy hacking down your enemies on your own terms. Ninja Gaiden 4 doesn’t beat around the bush, hits hard, and raises your heartbeat up a notch when your well-thought-out plan goes out of the window due to a missed parry. If you're a veteran of the series, you're definitely in for a ride. If you're someone new, this is an excellent starting point. While you'll be able to connect with the story better had you played the previous games, you can treat this as a standalone adventure where it's an eternal battle between good and evil. There's gore, drama, story, and a really interesting progression system that respects your time and energy. Like our content? Set Destructoid as a Preferred Source on Google in just one step to ensure you see us more frequently in your Google searches! The post Ninja Gaiden 4 is an outstanding revival of the beloved series appeared first on Destructoid. View the full article

A few weeks ago, the official CN side of Overwatch 2 hosted a fan-made skin contest, with all winning works having the chance to be added to the game sometime in the future. Being hosted under the theme 'What if the Omnic crisis never happened', the recently announced winners showed off a new side of some familiar characters, alongside a few surprising contestants. View the full article

Players get to form squads consisting of three characters while making story choices that will also determine their relationships. View the full article

In so many ways, Ninja Gaiden 4 is exactly what I wanted it to be. It’s a collaborative effort between Team Ninja and Platinum Games, two of my all time favorite developers; it builds off the combat from Ninja Gaiden 2, which has the best action of the series in my eyes; and it comes packed with small touches that make it a bit more approachable without sacrificing the tough-as-nails difficulty that longtime fans like me expect. But while I’d even go so far as to say this combat system is among the very best I’ve ever seen, Ninja Gaiden 4 stumbles in many other areas – from its bland new lead character, to its uninspired level design, to its predictable story that falls completely flat. The action is still so good that a lot of those shortcomings get deflected like bullets against Ryu Hayabusa’s sword, but others slip through that defense and wound what is otherwise an incredible revival for the Master Ninja. Story has never been a selling point of the Ninja Gaiden series, so it didn’t come as a surprise to me that Ninja Gaiden 4’s plot was one of its weakest elements. It introduces us to our new protagonist, Yakumo, a skilled ninja of the Raven Clan whose initial goal to kill a priestess of the Dark Dragon instead quickly turns into a mission to ******* her to a handful of magic seals in an effort to really for realsies kill the Dark Dragon for good this time. What follows is an extremely predictable 10-hour campaign with attempts at big emotional moments that fall flat because the legwork to make you care about these characters is never done. There is some banter that happens between Yakumo, his handler, and the other members of his little Raven Clan squad, but it’s never charming or endearing, and certainly never develops to a point where I ever got a real sense that these characters were actually close. Yakumo primarily communicates with grunts, growls, acknowledgements of the mission objectives, and angry threats, and as a result just comes off as a lame edgelord most of the time. You do get to play a couple of chapters as Ryu toward the end, and while these are a welcome reprieve, they also feel like a huge missed opportunity. His levels have him retracing Yakumo’s steps, fighting through the same environments, mostly the same enemies, and the same bosses, but this time with fewer combat options since Ryu only has access to one weapon, a far less interesting Gleam Form to replace Yakumo’s Bloodraven Form, and just four returning Ninpo super attacks. Imagine Dante’s missions from ****** May Cry 4, except he doesn’t get any new weapons, his playstyle is almost exactly the same as Nero, and there’s none of the cool Dante trash talk. Ninja Gaiden 4's combat isn't just good, it's phenomenal. I am willing to forgive an action game for a lot if the action itself is good, and fortunately Ninja Gaiden 4’s combat isn’t just good, it’s phenomenal. It’s incredibly fast, the enemies are intelligent and won’t let you do the same thing over and over again, there’s a great deal of flexibility that allows you to change up your approach to each fight, it looks slick as hell, and it has that trademark Team Ninja fluidity mixed with the over-the-top craziness that Platinum Games is renowned for. It just checks every single box. The secret sauce here is enemy aggression. Enemies are absolutely ruthless in Ninja Gaiden 4. They don’t politely wait their turn as they attack from off screen, hit you with unblockables, grab you if you try to turtle up, armor through your regular attacks, and overwhelm you with sheer numbers. It’s a style of combat that is totally unique to this series, and that suffocating pressure from enemies is what makes every combat encounter such a thrilling fight for survival. All of that may sound brutal, but Yakumo’s own toolset is extremely powerful as well. You have the iconic Flying ******** technique that allows you to zip towards an enemy, potentially slicing their head off in just a single hit; the Izuna Drop air combo that ends in a flying piledriver that will instantly kill most enemies in a single blow; the plethora of powerful unlockable attacks for each weapon; and most importantly, ultimate techniques that let you absorb essence from defeated enemies to charge up a flashy combo that is completely invulnerable, can hit multiple enemies, and does extremely high damage. None of this is new to Ninja Gaiden 4, and in fact is just a basic overview of what’s always been great about the combat in this series. But it’s important to talk about because my biggest concern coming into Ninja Gaiden 4 was that it would feel less like Ninja Gaiden and more like a Platinum Games game – not that there’s anything wrong with that, it’s just not what I’d want out of a return I’ve been waiting 13 years for. Fortunately, that’s not the case. This is a Ninja Gaiden game through and through with a light touch of Platinum flavor to enhance it even further. This is Ninja Gaiden through and through with a light touch of Platinum flavor. That flavor mostly comes in the form of one big addition to the combat system: Yakumo’s Bloodraven Form. By holding down the left trigger, Yakumo will transform his weapon into a slower, more extravagant version with a completely new set of moves and the ability to break an enemy’s guard or interrupt their super attacks. These attacks are sick as hell, and definitely bring to mind some of Bayonetta’s Wicked Weave heavy attacks, especially the Rapier that turns into a huge drill, or the staff that turns into a giant hammer. But more than being cool to look at, they add a new dimension to combat that forces you to be reactive to how the enemies are dealing with your offense. If you go into autopilot and spam light attacks, enemies will block your strikes and deliver a damaging counter of their own. But if you notice that they’re flashing white and shrugging off your attacks, you can hit them with a Bloodraven Form attack to not only deal big damage, but also open them up to even more punishment after breaking their guard. Bloodraven Form moves are tied to a meter that drains pretty quickly, adding an extra layer of resource management I enjoyed. These blood infused attacks are also generally pretty slow, which makes them a bit risky to try and interrupt a faster armored attack. So you need to decide whether to risk wasting your meter by pre-emptively using a blood attack to try and catch an armored move during its initial animation, whether to risk your health by trying to wait and react to one of their slower and more telegraphed armored moves, or or whether to use the meter defensively instead to try and perfectly block otherwise unblockable techniques. Whatever the case, having multiple different options to deal with a challenging combat encounter is crucial in a game like this, and Ninja Gaiden 4 is stacked with options to play around with. One departure from previous games is that instead of individually upgrading your weapons and having each improvement come with new moves and increased power, this time around you must buy all of your upgrades a la carte. Universal upgrades that affect every weapon cost Ninja Coin, which is a currency gained primarily from completing side missions, optional Purgatory challenges, and as a reward for completing a chapter. Weapon specific techniques on the other hand must be purchased with Weapon EXP, which is gained simply by fighting enemies. The better you perform, the more Weapon EXP you get. I enjoyed always having something new to unlock the whole way through, even though I do think Ninja Gaiden 4 is a little stingy with your starting set of upgrades. You’re not even able to absorb essence to instantly charge your ultimate technique, quickly charge it after landing from a jump, or even charge it up to level two by default. All of those techniques have to be purchased, along with staples like the aforementioned Flying ******** and Izuna Drop. And that same currency is also used to purchase consumable items, leading to a brutal economy in the early going. Especially if you didn’t purchase the Deluxe Edition, which gifts players with a whopping 50,000 Ninja Coins right from the start. That’s enough to buy virtually every starting upgrade and fill up your inventory. If you only have the standard edition, the first couple of hours can be pretty rough as you slowly build up the arsenal of techniques that bring Ninja Gaiden 4’s combat to life. The final new combat wrinkle is the addition of a Berserk Meter that fills up as you deal or take damage, as well as when you defeat delimbed enemies with Obliteration Techniques. When the Berserk Meter is full, your charged-up Bloodraven Form attacks will trigger Bloodbath Kills, which are basically cinematic one-hit kills. It’s another fun element of resource management that gave me a way to satisfyingly clear a whole screen of tough enemies in just a few seconds, if I managed to survive long enough to be able to build up the meter. The Berserk Meter adds another fun element of resource management. Platinum also injects a healthy dose of style and creative expression into the combat by giving Yakumo the ability to hot swap between his weapons with just the press of a button. So you can do cool things like launch an enemy with the dual swords, hit them twice in the air, switch to another weapon, hit them twice again, switch to a third weapon, max out that air combo, and then send them crashing down with an Izuna Drop. We’re not talking ****** May Cry levels of potential for combo creativity, but there’s still a lot of fancy stuff you can do between the many techniques that you’ll unlock for each weapon, and there’s even a training mode so you can practice optimizing your damage and stylish combos. Variety like this goes a long way for me in terms of making combat feel fresh and exciting throughout the entire campaign. I did my first playthrough of Ninja Gaiden 4 on Hard, and while that was the sweet spot in terms of difficulty for me, it’s worth noting that you can change this setting at any point (except in Master Ninja mode), which is a great feature for anyone struggling with its demanding challenges. Hero mode has been added as well which allows you to enable auto-block and auto-dodge at low health, along with an auto-assist that allows you to do damaging combos with just single button presses. It’s not for me, but I appreciate its inclusion nonetheless as a way to let more people enjoy the spectacle and action of the Ninja Gaiden series. While the action is pristine and the combat arenas themselves have some great interactable elements that give you the freedom to zip around from point to point, cutting up enemies along the way, the actual level design is pretty uninspired. There are occasional splashes of interesting architecture across the futuristic version of Tokyo that’s been twisted by the evil power of the Dark Dragon’s husk, but far more often you’ll just be wandering around very bland rooftops, identical looking corridors, and boring city streets. It doesn’t get much better once you’re out of Tokyo, either. You just trade those drab streets for foggy cliffsides, ugly sewers, and samey looking military bases. There are a couple of fun travel sequences that break up all of the limb liberating sword slashing, like Sonic-esque rail grinding sections, bits where you have to glide on wind currents to soar over a mountain range, and some sewer surfing, but they’re repeated throughout the campaign with little to no variation or evolution. As a result, they end up feeling more like filler than anything else. While the action is pristine, the actual level design is pretty uninspired. There’s a new sidequest system that allows you to gain some extra currency by completing optional tasks, like finding and defeating secret minibosses, capturing hidden collectible monsters called Gourdies, or just simply defeating a certain number of enemies in a specific area. It’s a nice addition that gives extra incentive to be thorough and not just run past optional fights, even though the drab and exceptionally linear level design doesn’t make it very exciting to actually explore. My favorite thing to find hidden in a level though are the Purgatory Gates. These are optional challenge rooms with the cool twist of letting you decide how much health you want to attempt them with. The greater the health handicap, the greater the reward. These fights are by far the most intense and most fun challenges available, and I loved pushing myself to try and get through the hardest difficulty and then being handsomely rewarded for the effort. Bosses have never been a strong suit for the Ninja Gaiden series but, funny enough, have always been a strength of Platinum Games. The mixture of the two seems to have gone about how you would expect, as the bosses in Ninja Gaiden 4 vary wildly in quality. There are a couple of truly great scraps against tough enemies with adrenaline pumping soundtracks that brought to mind some of Metal Gear Rising’s best fights. Meanwhile, others are just underwhelming battles against giant monsters with too much health and some frustrating gimmicks – from bosses that obnoxiously teleport around a large arena whenever you get close, to giant fiends that spawn annoying fodder enemies to distract from their own extremely dangerous attacks. After beating the campaign, you unlock the Master Ninja difficulty, the ability to replay any stage, boss, or unlocked Purgatory Gate as either Yakumo or Ryu, and most substantially, 18 combat trials that feature unique modifiers and even a few enemies that I never encountered in the main game. These combat trials might have you clearing waves of enemies without using your Bloodraven Form or cause your health to tick down continuously, forcing you to balance using your ultimate technique to clear out enemies while also making sure to occasionally pick up the life-restoring orbs that are used to quickly charge it – or a trial might just prevent you from healing all together. I haven’t beaten all of these yet, but I am having a blast going through each of them and look forward to challenging my friends to top my scores on the leaderboards. View the full article

Ninja Gaiden 4 review: "Thrilling action and deep blood powers make this the series' best and a stunning return to form"View the full article

Following the news of his untimely passing last week, a quote from Ninja Gaiden reboot director Tomonobu Itagaki started circulating on social media. Speaking to Kikizo back in 2004 , Itagaki responded to criticism that Ninja Gaiden was too difficult by claiming it was intentional. “The testers who tested this game went nuts,” he explained. “At first it was easier, but when the testers said ‘this is too difficult’, I made it even more difficult.” Sadly, we’ll never know what he’d make of Ninja Gaiden 4, which was developed without Itagaki’s input, but modern gaming sensibilities have at least ensured that while his trademark extreme difficulty remains, this time it’s optional. Read More... View the full article

World of Warcraft fans can obtain a new mount called the Festival Hot Air Balloon during the Pandaren Heritage questline in Patch 11.2.7, which can carry up to four players at one time. Though technically classified as a toy, this vehicle provides a brand-new way for World of Warcraft fans to travel in style. View the full article

Free Hornet!View the full article

Ultimate Scream has been confirmed for FC 26, and the first set of leaks for Team 1 has already started to appear on social media. Ultimate Scream will be making its Ultimate Team return after few years, and the community couldn't have more delighted. EA Sports has already confirmed the release date ahead of its Halloween launch, but remain tight-lipped about the players. Thankfully, we can have a fair idea of what to expect, all thanks to the leaks. Table of contentsAll FC 26 Ultimate Scream Team 1 players (leaks)FC 26 Ultimate Scream Team 1 release dateAll FC 26 Ultimate Scream Team 1 players (leaks) So far, the leaks have been few in number. As on Oct. 20, EA Sports has recently confirmed the promo. We should get more leaks in the upcoming days revolving around the first promo team. Joshua Kimmich Incidentally, Ultimate Scream will have its own share of Heroes in packs. So far, no Hero card has been leaked, but big names are expected to be present. While a bulk of the promo cards will be in packs, expect to find more items in SBCs and objectives. FC 26 Ultimate Scream Team 1 release date There can be no speculation about the release date of Ultimate Scream Team 1 after the confirmation from EA Sports. The first promo team will be released on Friday, Oct. 24 when Ratings Reload promo expires. The first team will be added via packs (both store packs and any available in your inventory) and SBCs/objectives. If you don't want to spend real-life money or rely on luck, going for the SBCs and the objectives will be better. You're assured of the rewards you'll obtain by exchanging fodder/completing certain tasks. It will be interesting to find out which cards make it to the first team of the promo, and who could potentially miss out contrary to expectations. Like our content? Set Destructoid as a Preferred Source on Google in just one step to ensure you see us more frequently in your Google searches! The post All FC 26 Ultimate Scream Team 1 player leaks and release date appeared first on Destructoid. View the full article

Florida attorney general James Uthmeier says his office will be issuing criminal subpoenas to Roblox, which he says "profited off of our kids while exposing them to the most dangerous of harms." Uthmeier explained how the subpoenas will enable his office "to gather more information for our prosecutors about the criminal activity taking place on Roblox's platform, as well as evidence on the predators that are out there and the victims that are abused." [Hidden Content] "They enabled our kids to be abused," he said in a statement on Twitter/X this morning. "Companies like Roblox have become breeding grounds for predators to get to an have access to our kids." Florida is now at least the second state to put Roblox in its crosshairs, joining Louisiana which filed a lawsuit against Roblox Corporation in August. In the suit, Louisiana said Roblox “has directly facilitated the widespread ******* exploitation of minors and inflicted severe, lasting harm upon the children of Louisiana." The metaverse-like platform is massively popular with young kids, which makes it a natural target for child predators, the suits claim. "At the end of the day, we will stop at nothing to fight to protect our kids and companies that act carelessly and expose them to harm will be held accountable," he said. This is a developing story. It's currently being updated in real time. Like our content? Set Destructoid as a Preferred Source on Google in just one step to ensure you see us more frequently in your Google searches! The post Roblox under fire from Florida attorney general who issued criminal subpoenas for game that ‘has become a breeding ground for predators’ appeared first on Destructoid. View the full article

Dead Cells, released in 2018, is one of the best roguelikes ever—"a stellar action platformer with gorgeous presentation and excellent combat," we said in our 90% review, a reputation that only grew over seven years of further development, 35 updates, and a whole spin-off studio. You might think that Dead Cells 2 would inevitably follow, but no: Developer Motion Twin instead opted to go for an entirely new game called Windblown... Read more.View the full article

As with any roguelike, RNG has a heavy influence on whether a run in Ball x Pit will be successful, but choosing your character is the first important decision that you have to make. The indie hit remixes Brick Breaker into a pit-exploring, fantasy-set adventure, and as you build New Ballbylon from quaint village to thriving metropolis, you fill it with characters unlocked along the way. View the full article

Arc Raiders, you've stolen my heart. The now-concluded Server Slam achieved something I didn't think was possible (dragging me away from Battlefield 6 for an entire weekend), but there was one element that impressed me more than any other. While the base Arc Raiders experience is superb, its limited-time dynamic events take things to a different level. In fact, they produced one of my favorite gaming moments of the year. Ironically, it was also responsible for me losing some of my best loot - and getting struck by lightning. Read the rest of the story... RELATED LINKS: Best Arc Raiders builds - all Raider skills Does Arc Raiders have crossplay? Is Arc Raiders down? Server status explained View the full article

I played a lot of Steam Next Fest demos last week. It's got to the point where I think I like playing demos more than I do full games. It's something about the tantalizing potential, the fact I can dip into five different games in a single evening and receive a meaningful conclusion (of sorts) in each. While I was balancing my Next Fest coverage with a burgeoning Ball x Pit obsession, one game stood out to me more than any other: Legend of Khiimori. Read the rest of the story... RELATED LINKS: New RPG Windstorm refines the best part of Red Dead Redemption 2 View the full article

Another hit roguelike has hitView the full article

The new Marvel Rivals seasonal event bringing PvE to the game for the first time ever got a nice tease today, and it has me even more excited than I already was. As an exceedingly exclusively PvE gamer these days, I was excited by its prospects when it was revealed last week, especially when it comes to future potential. But after seeing it in action, I'm genuinely pretty pumped to try it out when it goes live this Thursday. Screenshot by Destructoid Marvel Rivals' Marvel Zombies mode pits four players against the undead horde in New York City, inspired by the Disney Plus series of the same name. The trailer below showcases some zombie-slaying gameplay, but more importantly, new abilities and buffs that the five playable heroes can equip. For example, Punisher can drop a turret that will auto-target enemies, or apply buffs called Khonshu's Blessings that will do things like increase his weapons' magazine capacity or headshot damage. These traits can be earned and equipped in the pre-game lobby where he can team up with others as Magik, Blade, Thor, or Jeff the Land Shark. The biggest thing for me, though, is the enemy density in the trailer. There are A LOT of zombies, and it looks incredibly satisfying to slice through the crowds as Blade or Magik, or empty your clip into the horde with Punisher, or spray them all down and eat them up with Jeff. There's also some variety in the mobs, too, including giant police zombies with riot shields, statues of Khonshu that appear to heal or buff you, and miniboss battles against other zombified heroes like Namor and the main battle with Scarlet Witch. Along with multiple difficulty levels, it appears there may be some good replay value here. [Hidden Content] I've definitely not been playing much Rivals lately, not as much as I used to. I still think that NetEase should look into PvE modes in the future that tell seasonal storylines instead of relegating them to trailers and in-game lore drops. Hopefully Marvel Zombies ends up being a good time, is well-received, and the game's plot can expand this way in subsequent updates. Like our content? Set Destructoid as a Preferred Source on Google in just one step to ensure you see us more frequently in your Google searches! The post Marvel Rivals’ PvE zombies mode looks even better and deeper than I originally thought, and I think it could end up inviting back erstwhile players appeared first on Destructoid. View the full article

Rerolling in Stella Sora is important if you want to optimize your resources and save currencies for future banners right at the beginning of the game. On release, the target Trekker to obtain from the main banner is Chitose, and that's who you will chase and reset your game account until you get her. Here's how to reroll in Stella Sora and hopefully get that head start in your account. Stella Sora reroll guide This reroll method was tested on Stella Sora's release build of Oct. 20 on PC, though it also works on mobile platforms. Start with a guest account. Screenshot by Destructoid Run the game and start a session with a Guest account by tapping the rocket icon. On mobile, you might see "Guest Account" written instead.Play normally through the tutorial until you are taken to the main screen. This takes 10 to 15 minutes.Now in the lobby, the game will force you to do 20 Recruit x10 of the Opening Act Beginner Limited banner. Roll them and save the results that have either Nazuna or Gerie.Keep a roll that has either and return to the Lobby. If you're unlucky in these first 20 rolls, you may want to reset your account early. While Nazuna and Gerie aren't as important as Chitose, they're the best ones you can get from the beginner rolls. If you prefer not to reroll that early, keep any five-star Trekker. When you return to the lobby, the game will try to force you into a mission. Follow the game's instructions slowly, and you'll be able to return to the lobby once again after you click the Auto Deploy button. You don't need to go into the mission. Now, follow the steps below to roll for Chitose: Chitose's main banner in Stella Sora. Screenshot by Destructoid. Tap the Mail icon on the top right of the main menu.Claim the Pre-Registration and Official Release Rewards from the mail for 20 Cerulean Tickets.Go back to the lobbySelect "Recruit" on the bottom rightThe Chitose banner will be selected by default (Blades Beneath the Moon)Select Recruit x10 on the bottom right, then again to roll another 10 times. If you get Chitose from the banner, you can skip the next section and bind your account to your e-mail. Otherwise, follow the steps below to reset and perform a reroll in Stella Sora. Make a new guest account. Screenshot by Destructoid. Return to the lobbyTap the three horizontal lines on the top right to open the MenuSelect "Settings"Next to User Center, select "Go" to open a new windowSelect "Delete account"Tap the checkbox and select "Next"Type in DELETE in all caps. You'll return to the title screenWhen logging in as a guest again, select "Log in to another account" and select the Guest option in the rocket icon, like in the beginning.Repeat the story and recruitments in this fresh account to get 20 Cerulean tickets and repeat the Chitose banner pulls.Keep creating new Guest Accounts to reroll until you pull Chitose.How to bind your account after a good reroll Now that you've got Chitose, bind your account to your e-mail so you keep her for good. From the main screen while logged in, tap the three horizontal linesSelect SettingsIn User Center, select "Go"Select "Bind email"Enter your email address and tap "Send"Check your inbox for a code and enter it in the game.Select "Confirm" and that account will now be bound to your email. The post How to reroll in Stella Sora for the best possible start appeared first on Destructoid. View the full article

Battlefield 6 is giving fans some of the most cinematic FPS action they’ve seen in years, but one of its hard-to-reach Recon skins has the community in stitches. Die-hard fans of military shooters like Call of Duty and Battlefield have spent the last few years arguing about what place — if any — goofy skins have in their favorite video games. Although EA and Battlefield Studios’ latest has largely dodged the conflict with its commitment to a more grounded approach to cosmetics, it’s not managed to emerge from the wreckage completely unscathed. Discussion about one questionable launch skin kicked off when Reddit user BOSS_Clan_Intl shared an image of what appears to be the Recon class’ Dead Sight skin. It’s one outfit for the sniper-heavy class that could likely require dozens — if not hundreds — of hours of playtime, requiring players to not only complete all three standard Recon Assignment challenges but also several Recon Specialist challenges. Battlefield 6 players know all too well how demanding some of its many challenges can be, making Dead Sight an especially tough get for anyone looking to collect every infantry skin. The main problem here, though, is that, at least in the image shared here, Dead Sight makes you look at bit like a traffic cone. BF6 Recon Mastery Skin. Bright. Neon. Orange. Wow DICE byu/BOSS_Clan_Intl inBattlefield6 .reddit-embed-wrapper iframe { margin-left: 0 !important; } On what appears to be one of Battlefield 6’s sunnier maps (of which there are many), the Recon skin practically glows, mixing orange and ****** colors that look more ****** Ops than Battlefield. When nearly every other skin sticks to muted tones and traditional military camouflage, Dead Sight sticks out like a sore thumb. Making matters worse is the fact the skin is designed for Recon players, ditching something more practical, like a ghillie suit, for an outfit that an enemy may be able to point out as easily as a far-off flare. Looking at Dead Sight in the Battlefield 6 in-game gallery of class skins reveals that the suit is really more of a brown color instead of orange. The exact environment the above image was captured in remains unclear, but on a bright map with these settings, the contrast with the rest of the costumes is hard to ignore. Of course, one bright Battlefield skin is a far cry from the superhero, celebrity, and sci-fi skins that have divided Call of Duty fans, but that doesn’t mean Battlefield players aren’t taking the opportunity to poke fun at the Dead Sight skin. “If you’ve mastered the class you’re too good for camo,” one Reddit user joked. “It's not for sneaking, it's an open challenge to the lobby,” one person added. “Gotta say, for a mastery skin for the ‘stealth’ class, this is absurd lmao,” another joked. Comment byu/BOSS_Clan_Intl from discussionhttps://www.reddit.com/r/Battlefield6/comments/1obgqiq/bf6_recon_mastery_skin_bright_neon_orange_wow_dice/ inBattlefield6 .reddit-embed-wrapper iframe { margin-left: 0 !important; } Comment byu/BOSS_Clan_Intl from discussionhttps://www.reddit.com/r/Battlefield6/comments/1obgqiq/bf6_recon_mastery_skin_bright_neon_orange_wow_dice/ inBattlefield6 .reddit-embed-wrapper iframe { margin-left: 0 !important; } Under the right circumstances, Dead Sight may be the most colorful skin — but that doesn’t mean it’s the only one that pops. Before Battlefield 6 launched for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X and S on October 10, players caught wind of the Assault class’ System Override skin, which features bright green patterns and is only available via a special promotion with gaming tech company Razer. There’s also the Get Loud skin, which swaps out green marks for orange ones on the legs and face mask. Dead Sight’s time in the sun has spawned laughs among the Battlefield 6 community, but not everyone thinks the outfit is something to joke about. Some have commented on the original post, saying the skin looks “horrible,” while others swear off using it even after it’s unlocked. Then, there are those who fear EA and BF Studios will only introduce more goofy skins as post-launch development progresses. Meanwhile, the developers suggest they have no plans to change course any time soon. During an interview with IGN in September, Ripple Effect technical director Christian Buhl and senior console combat designer Matthew Nickerson touched on fears that goofy skins could infiltrate Battlefield 6. At the time, they confirmed the team is “really happy with where we are.” “We want to be a gritty, realistic shooter," Buhl said. "Other games can and should be whatever they want to be, right? [laughs] Like we're not, I don't know... Fortnite is pretty goofy, and that game is pretty good. So, I think where we end up is we're pretty happy with where we are. We are a gritty, grounded, realistic shooter. That's what we intend to be, and that's what the game is going to look like for a while.” Battlefield 6 is just days away from launching into Season 1. In the meantime, you can read up on the movement debate between ‘zoomers’ and ‘battledads.’ You can also learn about why we think the latest entry in the series has brought absolute cinema back to multiplayer. Michael Cripe is a freelance writer with IGN. He's best known for his work at sites like The Pitch, The Escapist, and OnlySP. Be sure to give him a follow on Bluesky (@mikecripe.bsky.social) and Twitter (@MikeCripe). View the full article

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In an interview with Variety, Bond categorically denied rumors that Microsoft is exiting the console market. She told the publication that "our next-gen hardware (is) in development," noting that the devices are currently in the design and prototyping stages. Read Entire Article View the full article