Doom: The Dark Ages releases on May 15, Bethesda announced during a segment in today's Xbox Developer Direct showcase. The lengthy look at the upcoming prequel to Doom 2016 and Doom Eternal also showed much more detail about the weaponry, mission structure, and the story.

Calling this entry a "return to form," Bethesda said that it aimed to shift the feeling of Doom again. Whereas Doom Eternal wanted to make you fight like a fighter jet, Dark Ages makes you an iron tank who can stand your ground. That's thanks largely to the versatility of the new Shield Saw. This piece of equipment lets you block, parry, and attack, with each function complementing your array of firearms. And, Bethesda noted, this means strafing is a viable strategy again. There's also a revised Glory Kill that's more contextual and varied based on your weapons and the angle you're facing the enemy demons.

Though you'll be spending most of your time killing demons on foot as the Slayer, you'll also pilot both a giant mech and a cybernetic dragon. The studio noted that each has its own suite of abilities and minibosses to fight. In a deep dive into a mission, we saw the Slayer confronting a large battle taking place outside a medieval castle, with an open sandbox to discover secrets and resources. After breaking through the enemy lines, you can go back to the main castle gates to trigger what appears to be a giant boss battle.

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During the Xbox Developer Direct January 2025, Sandfall Interactive announced that Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 will launch on April 24 for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S. It'll also be included in Xbox Game Pass on launch day.

As seen previously, the game invokes old-school Japanese turn-based combat sensibilities but with some real-time elements like dodging and parrying. Each character has their own playstyle and skill tree so that they feel unique to one another. There are also modifiers tied to gear, which evolve into passive abilities after fighting in four battles.

The game will also include difficulty settings that will adjust the parry and dodge windows. The party will be able to traverse an overworld map, another sign of Expedition 33's Japanese RPG influences.

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Almost a year after Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth was released for PS5, development on the final chapter of the remake trilogy has taken another big step forward. Series producer Yoshinori Kitase revealed that the story scenario for the third game was completed by the end of 2024 and that he's "very satisfied with it."

Speaking to Famitsu (via Eurogamer), Kitase and game director Naoki Hamaguchi added that development on the third game began right after Rebirth was completed and that there have been no delays yet on its progress.

Kitase also mentioned that creative director Tetsuya Nomura was tasked with making certain that the game's conclusion will be respectful to the original Final Fantasy 7 while also giving the series a satisfying conclusion.

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Neva Deluxe Edition (PS5 and Switch)

$55 | Releases April 18

Preorder at Amazon Preorder at Best Buy

Gris Deluxe Edition (PS5 and Switch)

$50 | Releases April 18

Preorder at Amazon Preorder at Best Buy

Neva Standard Edition (PS5 and Switch)

$35 | Releases April 18

Preorder at Amazon (PS5) Preorder at Amazon (Switch) Preorder at Best Buy

Gris Standard Edition (PS5 and Switch)

$30 | Releases April 18

Preorder at Amazon (PS5) Preorder at Amazon (Switch) Preorder at Best Buy

Devolver Digital has a wonderful catalog of indie games, including Nomada Studio's gorgeous platformer Gris and its follow-up adventure Neva. Both titles were previously only available in digital formats, but physical editions are finally hitting store shelves on April 18, and preorders are now open at Best Buy and Amazon.

Neva Deluxe Edition

$55 | Releases April 18

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A new patch has gone live for Cyberpunk 2077, with the big draw here being DLSS 4 support for PC players. Also available for the PS5 and Xbox Series X|S versions of the game, Patch 2.21 adds Multi Frame Generation for RTX 50-series GPUs, Nvidia's new feature that allows for substantial performance improvements in games that support it.

Compared to traditional brute-force rendering, Multi Frame Generation generates up to three additional frames per traditionally rendered frame, and when combined with DLSS, Nvidia claims that it can multiply frame rates by up to eight times.

If you own an older RTX 40-series Nvidia GPU, developer CD Projekt Red says you can expect faster single-frame generation with reduced memory usage. "All RTX GPU users will still benefit from several other features that can enhance stability, lighting, and other details," the patch notes also read. "You can now choose between the CNN model or the new Transformer model for DLSS Ray Reconstruction, DLSS Super Resolution, and DLAA on all GeForce RTX graphics cards today."

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Sony has pushed out a new PS5 system software update today, but it looks like it doesn't really add much.

According to the PlayStation website, the new Version: 25.01-10.60.00 update only added two things--it improved system software performance and stability, as well as improved the messages and usability on some screens. Sony says the update is rolling out in a phased release, so it may take some time to arrive on your console.

This is a stark contrast to the last PS5 system software update on December 4, which at least improved the process of transferring data from another PS5 and enhanced stability when transferring large amounts of data, such as captures. It's possible that there are other unlisted changes, but this new update might indeed just be a mundane stability-focused one.

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Since its launch in October, Pokemon Trading Card Game Pocket has quickly become one of Pokemon's most popular mobile apps, achieving the 60 million download mark in only two months--and at least one player hitting over 50,000 individual cards in their collection. Today, The Pokemon Company confirmed details on the game's first major expansion, Spacetime Smackdown, which is set to launch on January 30.

Spacetime Smackdown places a spotlight on the Diamond and Pearl generation of Pokemon, as it highlights species introduced in the Sinnoh Region--with legendary Pokemon Dialga and Palkia taking center stage on the set's two pack options. All three starter Pokemon from Sinnoh--Turtwig, Chimchar, and Piplup--will make their Pokemon TCG Pocket debut in this new set, along with the fan favorite Fighting-type Lucario.

The Pokemon Company has also confirmed that the previously announced trading feature will be added to Pokemon TCG Pocket on January 29, one day before the launch of Spacetime Smackdown. Players will be able to trade cards with registered friends in the app using two new items--Trade Hourglasses and Trade Tokens.

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Funselektor and Strelka Games have announced Over the Hill, a new stylish driving game that takes the elegant presentation established in Art of Rally and applies it to offroading.

Officially stylized in all lowercase letters as "over the hill," this new indie racing game will hit many of the same notes as 2020's Art of Rally. That previous racer from Funselektor stood out in a sea of indie games because of its stylish presentation that stripped back all the fluff common in rally racing games. Its controls and car handling still felt authentic, like a simulation racing game, but Art of Rally plays from a top-down perspective and lets players drive through vibrant tracks. Over the Hill takes many of those design tenants and applies them to a MudRunner-style offroad exploration game.

In Over the Hill, players explore different offroading locales connected by portals. It supports single-player and co-op with up to four player, and Funselektor populated each area with many challenges to complete and hidden collectibles to find. It won't always be easy to drive from one point to another, as players will have to account for Over the Hill's day-night cycle, dynamic weather, and other environmental obstacles that require tools to overcome. Over the Hill plays quite differently from Art of Rally, but Funselektor founder Dune Casu explained why the studio went this route for a follow-up.

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Dark Horse has announced two new figures in its line of Mass Effect statues, as fans of the sci-fi series will soon be able to add Jack and Legion to their collection. These new poly-vinyl figures will be available in Fall 2025 and are designed to be highly detailed but affordable collectibles. Jack is priced at $60 and is eight inches tall, while Legion is almost ten inches tall and will retail for $70.

Jack--the powerful biotic introduced in Mass Effect 2--is modeled after her appearance in Mass Effect 3 and her statue features all of her signature tattoos, updated hairstyle, and punk-rock jacket. As for Legion, the free-thinking Geth unit looks quite imposing thanks to its mechanical design and weapon.

Jack and Legion from Mass EffectGallery See at Dark Horse Direct

If you're looking for a few more high-end Mass Effect figures, Dark Horse Direct has several more to help you assemble your own desktop Normandy crew--ranging from Garrus Vakarian to Tali'Zorah--or if you really feel like spoiling yourself, the $200 Commander Shepard should be quite adept at turning heads.

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People who are into games today generally know the term "walking sim." It seems to have cropped up around the time of Dear Esther in 2012, a first-person adventure game in which you explore the Scottish countryside on foot, triggering memories of your lost loved one. To be fair, the game does mostly involve walking around, but there was a time when calling a game a "walking sim" was meant by some as a dig against it. That was true of Dear Esther and many games since then. One would use it to say, "This game lacks gameplay." To an extent, that's not the case anymore, as walking sim is now a genre label on Steam so fans of them can easily find more, and many games are built to attract an audience that enjoys this kind of game.

I like them, too, though I've always had something of an asterisk attached to my enjoyment. They didn't work as horror games, despite many attempts. I find this pairing doesn't work because walking sims often exclude mechanics besides things like moving and triggering dialogue. You can tell a good story in a walking-sim horror game, but in my experience, you can't create a frightening game if I can easily peer through the game's code, figuratively speaking, to find that there are no monster encounters to worry about. The game isn't going to present me with any fail states, or at least not any elaborate situations in which I may or may not survive, which is where a horror story's tension originates.

Simply put, if it's clear the mechanics of a horror game won't advance past, more or less, moving around alone, then the setting itself has to effectively sell the scare factor. Typical horror games have not shown an ability to do that effectively or consistently, in my experience. This has ruined countless horror games for me over the years. But one new game, Dreamcore, is helping solve it.

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Microsoft is holding its first showcase of the year, the Xbox Developer Direct 2025. So here's when the showcase will start, how to watch it, and what to expect.

When is the Xbox Developer Direct 2025?

The Xbox Developer Direct 2025 will start at 10AM PT / 1 PM ET on Thursday, January 23.

• 10 AM PT
• 1 PM ET
• 6 PM BST
• 3 AM AET (January 24)

How to watch the Xbox Developer Direct 2025

The showcase will be streamed on several different channels, including Xbox and Bethesda's official YouTube pages.

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Lego Icons: Back to the Future DeLorean Time Machine (1,872 Pieces)

$163 (was $200)

See at Amazon See at Walmart See at Target

Back to the Future: The Ultimate Trilogy on 4K Blu-ray

$35 (was $56)

See at Amazon

Back to the Future: The Complete Adventures on Blu-ray

$47 (was $80)

See at Amazon

Lego's 1,872-piece Back to the Future time machine is on sale for $163 at Amazon, Walmart, and Target. Normally $200 and labeled "hard to find" by Lego--the large-scale building set is on backorder on Lego's site at full price--fans can piece together an impressively authentic model of the iconic DeLorean time machine from the film trilogy. At the time of writing, Amazon was nearly sold out of this deal. Since Amazon and Walmart often mirror the other's Lego deals, once Amazon runs out, it's possible Walmart's deal will disappear, too.

Lego Icons: Back to the Future DeLorean Time Machine (1,872 Pieces) $163 (was $200)

Inside the box, you'll find 1,872 pieces that can be used to construct Doc Brown's improbable time machine. Lego designed the Back to the Future time machine build as a 3-in-1, allowing fans to choose which of the three iterations of the famous vehicle to construct.

The car is full of screen-accurate details, like working gull-wing doors, a lightning rod for when you need 1.21 gigawatts of power, and a detailed interior. There's even a flux capacitor light brick, an optional Mr. Fusion energy reactor and fold-up wheels for when you want to put the car in hover-mode, and several other extra parts to replicate its look from Back to the Future 3. You'll also get two minifigures of Doc Brown and Marty McFly.

To be clear, you can only build and display one edition of the DeLorean, but Lego's choice-based builds are cool because you can revisit, partially deconstruct, and modify with the alternative building guide to create a fresh look for your display shelf. Of course, you could buy three Lego DeLorean sets to remove the need to choose.

See at Amazon See at Walmart See at Target Back to the Future: The Ultimate Trilogy on 4K Blu-ray $35 (was $56)

If you want to watch the films while you build the DeLorean, Amazon is offering Back to the Future: The Ultimate Trilogy 4K box set for only $35 (was $56). This is the 2024 printing of the collection, so the voucher for the digital editions of the trilogy is still active. The 4K set also includes standard 1080p Blu-ray discs.

In case you don't have a 4K TV, you can get this same collection on 1080p Blu-ray for $20. Digital copies of the movies are included with this one, too.

• Back to the Future: Ultimate Collection (4K + Blu-ray + Digital) -- $35 ($56)
• Back to the Future: Ultimate Collection (Blu-ray + Digital) -- $20 ($40)

See at Amazon Back to the Future: The Complete Adventures on Blu-ray $47 (was $80)

If you feel like going all out, you can also check out Back to the Future: The Complete Adventures. This collector's edition gets you all three movies on standard Blu-ray, the complete animated series, and it comes with a cool 64-page art book. If you already have the movies but you just want the animated series, a DVD box set is available for just $14.79.

See at Amazon

Lego retired its Lego Technic model based on Dom's Dodge Charger from Fast & Furious last January, making it more difficult to find for a reasonable price. However, Walmart seems to have randomly added new stock of the set to its online store--a full year after the set retired--and is selling it at the standard $120 retail price it launched for in 2020. This is a great opportunity to grab the set if you missed out on it originally, but act fast--we have no idea how long stock will last, and it it likely to sell out, well, fast.

Lego Technic Fast & Furious Dom’s Dodge Charger (1,077 pieces) $120

The Lego Technic Fast & Furious Dom’s Dodge Charger is a 1,077-piece replica of the muscle car driven by Dom Toretto (Vin Diesel) in multiple Fast and Furious films. The highly detailed set includes faithful details like the car's iconic engine, moving wheels, and more. There is also an optional wheel stand mode that's great for displaying the set on your shelf.

See at Walmart

Again, this is a retired set, meaning Lego is not making anymore of them, and you won't find it in stock anywhere else--at least not from large retailers. You can find it at Amazon for around the same price at the moment, but you'll be buying from a third-party seller. If you don't see the $120 price when you check Walmart's store page, click "More seller options" and select "Sold and shipped by Walmart," and it should appear. If you don't see an option to buy directly from Walmart, then it's possible it has sold out--in which case, overpriced third-party sellers are your only option.

Lego also released a smaller Speed Champions version of Dom Toretto's 1970 Dodge Charger, but it has been retired for some time. Nevertheless, you can still find it from resellers at Walmart, though you'll be paying twice as much as its original price.

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PDP Riffmaster Wireless Guitar Controller for PS5 & PS4

$114.71 (was $130)

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PDP Riffmaster Wireless Guitar Controller for Xbox & PC

$119 (was $130)

See at Amazon

The officially licensed PDP Riffmaster Wireless Guitar Controller has received a rare discount at Amazon. The PS5 and PS4 edition is available for $114.71, while the Xbox and PC version is slightly more expensive at $119. Released last March to support Fortnite Festival, the Riffmaster is the only guitar controller currently being produced that's licensed by PlayStation and Xbox.

PDP Riffmaster Wireless Guitar Controller for PS5 & PS4 $114.71 (was $130)

To be clear, this is technically a Rock Band 4 controller, but Epic Games added support for a variety of guitar controllers last April, including Rock Band 4 guitars.

By default, the Riffmaster is configured for right-handed players, but left-handed players can use it by removing a single screw and reversing the neck. The Riffmaster has five upper and lower frets as well as a D-pad on the pick guard and an analog stick on the back of the headstock.

The controller offers a 30-foot wireless range via the included USB dongle and can run for up to 36 hours on a full charge. It has a built-in 3.5mm audio jack and comes with a shoulder strap.

As an officially licensed controller, the Riffmaster also has the PS button to open up the PS5's control center or return to the home screen.

Unlike many PlayStation controllers, the Riffmaster wasn't designed with PlayStation console compatibility in mind. That said, some users have been able to get the PlayStation Riffmaster working on PC with unofficial third-party drivers.

See at Amazon PDP Riffmaster Wireless Guitar Controller for Xbox & PC $119 (was $130)

If you primarily play Fortnite Festival on PC, however, you'll want to opt for the Xbox version of the Riffmaster. The Xbox model has the same features as the PlayStation edition. It has the Xbox button that opens the Guide.

Both models have a sleek black and gray color scheme and are made of sturdy plastic. A collapsible design makes it easy to store the guitar or take it with you when traveling. Once taken apart, the the controller can be tossed in a backpack and then reassembled in a minute or two.

See at Amazon

Unfortunately, neither model is compatible with Nintendo Switch. But if you're looking for an alternative to a traditional controller for Switch or PC, CRKD recently launched a unique version of its great Neo S Wireless Controller. The Neo S Fortnite Festival Edition has a five-fret detachable module reminiscent of the accessory for Guitar Hero games on Nintendo DS. It's available now at Amazon for $60.

CRKD Neo S Fortnite Festival Edition Controller for PC & Switch $60 See at Amazon

Fanatical is celebrating the start of the Year of the Snake with its annual Lunar New Year Sale. The sale runs until February 2, and not only are thousands of PC games on sale, the retailer is also throwing in bonus coupons and free games as part of the event.

See All Lunar New Year Deals at Fanatical

Some big, noteworthy discounts in Fanatical Lunar New Year Sale iinclude Crusader Kings III for $13.74 (was $50), Total Warhammer III for 21.69 (was $60), and Middle-earth: Shadow of War - Definitive Edition for $5 (was $60). You can also pick up most of the games in the Steam World series for less than $2 each, including Steam World Dig, Steam World Dig 2, Steam World Heist, and Steam World Quest. The latest entry in the franchise, Stream World Heist 2, is on sale for $12.89 (was $30).

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As the line between handheld and home consoles blurs there's been more of a need--and want--for docks that can bridge the gap between small and big screen gaming. For most people, it's an experience that is familiar thanks to the Switch, but these days it's not a feature exclusive to Nintendo's devices. Everything from beefy hardware like the Steam Deck and Asus ROG Ally to comparatively modestly powered emulation handhelds like Anbernic's various devices are capable of being plugged into a large screen for a more traditional gaming experience.

Docks, then, are almost essential these days. Beyond functionality, I look for the aesthetic advantage a dock can provide. I like my devices nicely placed and positioned as something that looks good in a room, instead of just hanging out near a power outlet while on charge. With that in mind, my docks of choice have always come from JSAUX, which offers the ability to turn the Steam Deck, Ally, and any other PC-handheld into something that can actually function as a computer. Along with a HDMI out and few USB ports to connect peripherals to, JSAUX docks include an ethernet port, making both working and gaming with good internet stability much more viable.

Razer's Handheld Dock Chroma isn't very different from these, despite being more expensive at $80. However, it does address a couple of key issues I always have with docks. The first of these is docks aren't typically very nice to look at and the second being the stability can often be an issue. Razer sent over a dock for testing; I've been using it for about a week and, as a whole, I'm impressed with it as an overall package. It doesn't do anything unique, but it does offer everything you would want and need from a hardware and connectivity standpoint while also being designed in a thoughtful way.

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Celeste developer Extremely Ok Games has announced that its next project, Earthblade, has been canceled. The decision was made back in December, but the the team said it needed to process the news before announcing it publicly.

Director Maddy Thorson provided more details in a final blog post. One of the main reasons for the cancelation revolved around disagreements over the Celeste IP rights, the details of which the studio has decided not to disclose. While a resolution was reached, founding member Pedro Medeiros parted ways with Earthblade in November and is now working on his own game, Neverway.

Medeiros's departure led Thorson and programmer Noel Berry to reevaluate Earthblade, which was still promising but not as far along considering its long development period.

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Pokemon Trading Card Game Pocket has been a mobile phenom since it launched at the end of last October. The game invites players to spend real money on virtual Pokemon cards, although Pokemon TCG Pocket can also be played for free. However, at least one player has thrown the maximum amount of money at the game since its debut, and the result is an astounding collection of cards.

As reported by Automaton, Japanese player Hajimesyacho has disclosed that they spent the daily limit on Pokemon TCG Pocket between October 30, 2024 and January 19, which led to over 50,000 cards in their virtual collection.

リリース日から毎日上限課金して5万枚達成したwwwww#ポケポケ pic.twitter.com/KdbZH61iUX

— はじめしゃちょー(hajime) (@hajimesyacho) January 19, 2025

There is apparently a daily limit for spending real money in Pokemon TCG Pocket, which is approximately 14,000 yen/$120. If Hajimeshacho reached that limit from October 30-January 19, then he spent around 1.12 million yen/$7,155. That's a lot of money to invest in anything, much less virtual cards that don't exist on paper. Regardless, Hajimeshacho seems happy, and that's really all that matters.

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Several popular gaming-related subreddits are banning posts that link to social media site X (formerly Twitter). Among those issuing the ban are r/SteamDeck, r/MonsterHunter, r/WOW, r/PCGaming, and r/Nintendo.

These bans are part of a larger movement on Reddit to ban X content. Since the influx of blacklisting began, there have been a number of posts made across various subreddits raising the question of if the respective subreddit should follow suit. Currently, r/Halo, r/RPG, r/Valorant, r/AnimalCrossing, and several other prominent subreddits are in discussions, with the majority of subscribers currently in favor of a prohibiting content pulled from X. The extent of the bans vary from subreddit to subreddit, with r/Nintendo and r/SteamDeck allowing screenshots while r/WOW is prohibiting images as well.

The official reasons for the ban vary, though many cite Elon Musk's recent actions as the primary motivation. Musk, who owns X, recently attended President Trump's inauguration and was seen doing a Nazi-like salute. However, different forums have also cited X's lack of moderation and "increasingly hateful" content as reason to blacklist the website.

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EA has announced that Dragon Age: The Veilguard and EA Sports FC 25 underperformed its expectations.

EA confirmed the underperformance of the RPG and sports game while sharing preliminary results for the third quarter of its 2025 fiscal year (which covers October through December of 2024). As a result, EA now expects a mid-single-digit decline in its net bookings for the fiscal year. On the Dragon Age: The Veilguard front, EA explained that the RPG "engaged approximately 1.5 million players during the quarter, down nearly 50% from the company’s expectations."

That means EA expected around 3 million people to engage with Dragon Age: The Veilguard by the end of 2024, though it's unclear what exactly it counts in this engagement metric. While Dragon Age: The Veilguard's underperformance disappointed the company, EA claims that a "majority of the change" in net bookings comes from Global Football--and more specifically, the release of EA Sports FC 25--not meeting expectations during Q3.

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