Sonic the Hedgehog 4 is celebrating its 15-year anniversary today, October 7, 2025. Below, we look back at Sega's uneven attempt to revive the classic 2D franchise, and how it ultimately fizzled.

There's no denying the glaring flaws of Sonic the Hedgehog 4--the wonky physics, the blatant remixing (or one might even say "rehashing") of classic levels and bosses from the first two Sonic games, and the soundtrack's questionable and often derided soundfont being chief among them. But despite its problems, even 15 years later, I still find myself occasionally coming back to replay both episodes. Not only that, but dare I say, I enjoy myself.

The game certainly had its shining spots. I appreciate how, instead of every zone having the same hazards and obstacles scattered throughout, each act of each zone had its own distinct gimmick to help one stand out. For example, Casino Street Act 1 featured your standard pinball flippers, bumpers, and slot machine gimmicks. Act 2 shifted the focus to a new mechanic entirely: flipping around and racing across playing cards that act as platforms. The third act brings in colorful cannons that you can manually aim to shoot Sonic across the level. The game was darn pretty to look at, capturing the colorful aesthetic of the classic games with a modern sheen. And even though longtime Sonic composer Jun Senoue went a little too hard with the Genesis/Mega Drive synths for the music, it was still catchy as heck.

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Nintendo has fleetingly dropped some bombshell announcements on its Nintendo Today app, but the most recent drop is a real head-scratcher.

The gaming company shared a video on the app simply titled "Close to You," also uploading it on YouTube shortly after. Comments are turned off on YouTube, and the video description simply repeats the video title.

The animated video runs for almost four minutes and doesn't explicitly tie into any video game announcement; instead, it's a cute short film about a baby attempting to retrieve their pacifier.

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Since the release of Assassin's Creed Mirage in 2023, Ubisoft has added a New Game+ mode, a parkour update, a permadeath mode, and a PS5 Pro patch. But all of that pales to the amount of content coming next month when Ubisoft launches the free DLC expansion, Assassin’s Creed Mirage: Valley of Memory.

Ubisoft announced the expansion to celebrate the second anniversary of the game. During the Valley of Memory reveal stream, it was disclosed that this DLC will add around six hours of gameplay and story as Basim discovers that his father may still be alive. To find him, Basim has to journey to AlUla, an ancient valley that is overflowing with thieves and dangerous men.

In addition to the primary quest, Basim can accept new assassination missions and side quests. He can also play the oud once players earn music sheets by conquering parkour challenges. Ubisoft has also teased "a unique twist on Assassin’s Creed’s classic black box missions," without elaborating any further.

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Battlefield 6's release on October 10 is coming up soon, and ahead of that, developer Battlefield Studios has announced the game's beefy day-one patch and teased naval warfare may be coming.

The game's day-one patch will have more than 200 changes, including bug fixes, balance improvements, and polish. The developer will publish the full patch notes later, but for now, the company released highlights, including that player movement will feel "more responsive" and that recoil has been rebalanced. Additionally, maps have seen some tweaks for the Rush and Breakthrough modes to help them have "better balance."

On top of all this, the Operation Firestorm map got some updates to improve performance, while Siege of Cairo's spawn-killing and out-of-bounds exploits will be fixed with the day-one update.

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Activision has announced that the Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 multiplayer beta has been extended by 24 hours, meaning it now wraps up on October 9 instead of October 8. That also means the beta is ending just before EA's Battlefield 6 launches on October 10 at 8 AM PT / 11 AM ET.

The Black Ops 7 beta now officially concludes on Thursday, October 9 at 9 AM PT / 12 PM ET.

For the final few days of the beta, Activision has added a new map, Toshin, which is the sixth map available in the test. Additionally, the double XP and weapon XP for the beta has been extended for the duration of the test. The level cap, meanwhile, has increased to 30.

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It is now October, which means spooky season has begun. A number of games are celebrating, including Activision's Call of Duty, which is bringing back The Predator for the first time in a long time.

The Haunting, which is the annual Call of Duty Halloween event, begins on October 9. A promo image for the event reveals a few things, including the return of The Predator and the fan-favorite MP40 gun.

The Predator has not been in a Call of Duty game since Call of Duty: Ghosts all the way back in 2014 via the Devastation DLC. The timing for The Predator's return may not be random, as 20th Century Studios is releasing the next Predator movie, Predator: Badlands, on November 7.

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Haunted Chocolatier is the next game from ConcernedApe, the developer behind the massive indie farming sim, Stardew Valley. This has made Haunted Chocolatier highly anticipated, although little information about the game has been shared, beyond making it clear that it's a game where you move to a new town and take over a chocolate shop. ConcernedApe has said that it will share gameplay elements with Stardew Valley, but will be more of an action-RPG compared to Stardew Valley.

Table of Contents [hide]

• When will Haunted Chocolatier be released?
• Haunted Chocolatier trailer

When will Haunted Chocolatier be released?

Haunted Chocolatier does not have a release date nor window at this time, and ConcernedApe has said that he doesn't intend on giving one until he's confident it's going to release. Haunted Chocolatier was originally announced via a trailer back in October 2021, roughly four years ago. In a blog post on September 12 discussing the announcement of Stardew Valley 1.7, ConcernedApe said his attention was still primarily on Haunted Chocolatier, even teasing that Haunted Chocolatier could arrive prior to Stardew Valley 1.7, but no guarantees.

Haunted Chocolatier trailer

Currently, the only trailer for Haunted Chocolatier is the reveal trailer shown above, and a couple of trailers featuring music from the game, but no additional gameplay. The trailer briefly shows a snowy mountain, with a bakery and other buildings, including your chocolate shop. From the chocolate shop, the player jumps into a portal, which takes them to a combat dungeon, which shows more in-depth combat mechanics. That portal is also where you gather chocolate ingredients, which can be used back at the chocolate shop to make products to sell in the store.

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The Splinter Cell: Deathwatch Netflix series releases in mere days, and it'll be the first time fans have gotten to see Sam Fisher in his own story--aside from a few books--in well over a decade. Now, the show's creator and showrunner Derek Kolstad has provided some insight into how he approached the material, and how little hand-holding there was from series owner Ubisoft.

Speaking to GamesRadar, Kolstad--best known as the creator of the John Wick series--contrasted his experience on Deathwatch with his time working on Marvel IP.

"I did Falcon and The Winter Soldier, and that's Disney," Kolstad said. "You're in a titanium tunnel--it's [still] a joy because you get to play in a sandbox filled with sand and play with their toys."

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Battlefield veteran David Goldfarb's studio, The Outsiders, is closing down, but Goldfarb and the team are "not giving up."

In a statement, Goldfarb said The Outsider is shutting up shop as part of wider cuts at studio owner Funcom. The Outsiders, which was founded in 2015, had a close call at closing up shop when the studio's other game, Darkborn, was canceled in 2020, Goldfarb said. After that game didn't make it, Funcom took a majority ownership of The Outsiders. The studio then released the rhythm-action game Metal: Hellsinger in 2022.

"It will always be a high point for me personally and I will be forever grateful we got to make it and for the wonderful team and partnerships that made it happen," Goldfarb said.

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In 2013, Microsoft briefly showed off a teaser for a spy game codenamed Project Ranger, which was in development by Blue Tusk Studios--the studio that later rebranded itself as The Collective. Project Ranger was abandoned over a decade ago, but a new report has shed some light on what was meant to be Xbox's answer to Uncharted.

Liam Robertson's Did You Know Gaming channel has posted an in-depth look back at Project Ranger, which Microsoft and Black Tusk initially had high hopes for. Although the 30-second teaser took place in Shanghai, the report describes it as "Uncharted with spies," and a third-person action shooter that would have featured missions set in cities all over the world.

The project was said to be influenced by the Mission: Impossible movies, with a touch of James Bond through the gadgets that the player's character could use against his enemies. There was reportedly consideration towards giving the game some Kinect functionality, including the ability to use voice chat to get tips from the main character's handler. However, those controls would have also been available without using Kinect.

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Bungie's long-in-development PvE shooter Marathon, which was delayed indefinitely back in June, has resurfaced with an upcoming test.

A closed technical test for the game will run in North America and Europe from October 22-27 on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. Players can sign up for the test now, but Bungie said it's "limited" in scope, so simply applying does not guarantee entry. Furthermore, anyone accepted to the test must sign an NDA that forbids them from sharing details about the test.

You can fill out the form on Bungie's website to sign up now through October 16 at 4 PM PT / 7 PM ET. PC players can sign up there or via Steam starting on October 13.

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One of the key talking points about Battlefield 6 pre-release has been around the Open and Closed weapons playlists for multiplayer. For Battlefield 6, the developers are focusing on an Open weapons setup where people can pick any weapon, regardless of their class. The traditional Battlefield setup was that every class has its own unique and exclusive weapons. People made a lot of noise about this and how they wanted a Closed setup, but data from the beta--which offered Open and Closed playlists--suggests statistically small differences in preference.

"The vast majority of players, after trying both playlist types, chose to stick with Open weapons. This reinforces our belief that Open weapons is the right path forward for Battlefield 6," the developer said in a blog post. "We observed mostly identical class pick rates with 1-2% difference at most."

Players in Open weapons performed slightly better, recording 0.2 more kills per hour in Conquest and 0.1 more kills per hour in Breakthrough versus Closed.

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AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D Processor (8-Core, 16-Thread)

$338 was ($449)

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One of the best CPUs for gaming, the AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D, has just hit its lowest price of the year for Prime Big Deal Days. Long considered the best gaming CPU until the arrival of the Ryzen 7 9800X3D, the older 7800X3D is hard to pass up at just $338 (was $449). The discount will likely only stick around until Big Deal Days end on October 8--so cash in while you can.

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Upgrading your gaming rig during Prime Big Deal Days is a great idea, as over a dozen Nvidia GeForce RTX GPUs are discounted for the shopping holiday. Many of these are available for their lowest price ever, with price cuts of over $100 for select models. This includes premium models capable of playing most modern games without a hiccup and budget-friendly options for those seeking to upgrade an entry-level PC during Amazon's sale, which lasts through October 8.

See all GPU deals at Amazon

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Marvel Legends collectibles on sale

Get action figures and prop replicas for a low price

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Amazon Big Deals Days has kicked off, and we're seeing some big discounts on a wide range of collectible action figures--including several figures from the Marvel Legends line. Some of the best deals are for the Marvel Legends Gamerverse figures, which features characters from Insomniac's Spider-Man PlayStation games, such as Spider-man, Black Cat, Miles Morales, and more--for just $21 apiece (normally $25 each).

Amazon is also offering various Marvel Legends figures from other lines, including the deluxe version of the Incredible Hulk for $49 (was $60), which comes with three swappable heads representing various eras of the Green Goliath and effects parts to recreate his attacks. The Dracula figure is on sale for $13 instead of $25, while the Ultimate Universe version of Iron Man, which features head-turning silver armor, is down to $20 (was $25). These are just a few of the many discounted Marvel Legends collectibles; you'll find the full lineup of deals below.

These deals are only available during Amazon's Prime Big Deal Days sale happening October 7 and 8. Be sure to check GameSpot's Deals Hub page for even more of our favorite Prime Big Deal Days discounts on collectibles, video games, Blu-rays, and beyond. We've also rounded up a list of high-end Marvel and Star Wars replicas available in Amazon's sale. These include the recently launched Dr. Doom helmet, Captain America's Shield, and a Mark 85 Iron Man helmet straight out of Avengers: Endgame.

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Star Wars Black Series helmets and lightsabers

$70 - $170

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Wehether you're a cosplayer or collector, Hasbro's premium Star Wars and Marvel collectibles are worth checking out. The company makes affordable, screen-accurate versions of everything from helmets and lightsabers to superhero masks and gadgets--and thanks to Amazon's Big Deals Days event, you can save big on several of these collectibles that look great on a shelf or as part of a costume. We've combed through the deals and rounded up a few of our favorites below.

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Samsung 990 Evo Plus NVMe SSDs on sale

$60 - $200

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These days, it feels like several hundred gigabytes of storage capacity on your gaming PC or console doesn't go as far as it used to. Fortunately, an upgrade isn't just easy; it's also quite affordable with these Amazon Big Deals Days specials on NVMe SSDS for PC and PS5. Two of the standout deals here include the Samsung 990 EVO Plus 1TB SSD for only $60 (was $105), while Lexar's 1TB SSD is down to $65 (was $95). There are several other models and sizes from Samsung, Lexar, and Western Digital on sale during Amazon's event, which takes place October 7 and 8, and we've rounded them up below. After checking those out, you can then head over to GameSpot's Deals Hub to see the latest price cuts to video games, Blu-rays, and more during the Prime Big Deal Days sale.

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Hot Wheels sets on sale for Big Deals Days

$15 - $44

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Trends may change, but if there's one constant in life, it's that Hot Wheels cars and playsets will always be cool. Now that Amazon has kicked off its Big Deals Day promotion, now is the perfect time to get your hands on a few of these fun sets, either for yourself or as part of some early gift-shopping with the festive season fast approaching. We're seeing some big discounts here on popular playsets that come with a few Hot Wheels cars inside of them, including several Amazon-exclusive sets as well.

One of the more eye-catching sets on sale is the Dual Dragon Transporter for $37.49 (was $54). The set features two dragon-themed transforming vehicles--the primary red dragon can house up to 20 Hot Wheels cars, while the blue dragon features extendable wings and can "gobble" up vehicles, and both dragons can be combined into a single super vehicle. If you'd prefer to put some roadwork knowledge to use, you can also build your very own Hot Wheels circuit. This playset is just $20 for Prime Day (was $29.15) and it offers a gas can-shaped container full of parts that can be used to make a mini-circuit. Grab the Track Creator set and you'll have enough parts to create a circuit through an entire room. We've rounded up a long list of Bid Deal Days Hot Wheels discounts below.

For more buildable toy set deals, be sure to check out the many Lego deals in Amazon's Prime Big Deal Days sale. These deals include several Star Wars Lego kits that are scheduled to be retired soon--like the Ghost and Phantom 2 spaceships from Ahsoka, the Duel on Peridea, and Ahsoka's T-6 Jedi Shuttle. We're also seeing several discounts for collectible sets, like Grogu and his hover-pram, a display bust of the Mandalorian's helmet, and the brick-built Star Wars logo. You can browse through all the Lego Big Deal Days discounts. Be sure to also hit up GameSpot's Deals Hub to see the latest price cuts on Blu-rays, video games, and more in Amazon's sale.

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Bleach: Rebirth of Souls

$30 (was $60)

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Bleach is still widely regarded as one of the big three anime of the early 2000s, and recently, it has made a big comeback on TV and in video games. For Amazon Big Deals Days, you can pick up the latest game in the franchise, Bleach: Rebirth of Souls, at its lowest price to date, as it's on sale for $30. That's a 50% discount from its launch price earlier this year, and you can choose between an Xbox Series X or a PS5 physical edition.

Bleach: Rebirth of Souls $30 (was $60)

Like several other anime franchises given the video game treatment, Bleach: Rebirth of Souls is a 3D arena-fighter. While the genre is admittedly flooded with lackluster efforts--from Naruto to Demon Slayer--the Bleach game does break away from the pack by offering a fighting setup that's built around meaty and complex gameplay systems. The battle system is full of depth and intricate elements, and with stylish character animations, the end result is a slick fighting game that feels rewarding to play once you master it.

• PS5
• Xbox Series X

See PS5 version at Amazon See Xbox version at Amazon Bleach anime and manga box sets Get the full Bleach collection at a low price

You can also pair this game with the Limited Edition versions of Bleach: The Thousand-Year Blood War Part 1 and Part 2. These are on sale for a pretty good price, as Part 1 has been discounted to $39.49 and Part 2 is available for $49. These normally retail for $70 each, and each set comes with several on-disc special features, exclusive packaging, and an art book full of stylish illustrations. The source material manga is also on sale, and each of the three box sets compiling the paperbacks come with an exclusive double-sided poster.

Bleach anime

• Bleach: The Thousand-Year Blood War Part 1 Limited Edition -- $39.49 ($70)
• Bleach: The Thousand-Year Blood War Part 2 Limited Edition -- $49 ($70)
• Bleach: The Thousand-Year Blood War Part 1 Standard Edition -- $27.40 ($45)
• Bleach: The Thousand-Year Blood War Part 2 Standard Edition -- $31.49 ($45)

Bleach manga box sets

• Bleach Box Set 1 (Vol. 1-21) -- $166.7 ($225)
• Bleach Box Set 2 (Vol. 22-48) -- $139 ($215)
• Bleach Box Set 3 (Vol. 49-74) -- $160.14 ($200)

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Several other anime series are on sale during this Prime Big Deal Days sale. Fans of Shonen anime will want to check out all the deals on various Dragon Ball anime series and movies, the complete Tokyo Ghoul saga has been marked down by 60% for its 10th anniversary box set, and Jujutsu Kaisen is also down to a new low price. A spiritual successor to Bleach, the second season of the anime is available in two parts, with Part 1 going for $16.49 (Was $40) and the Limited Edition Part 2 box set retailing for $66 (was $100).

For more Prime Big Deal Days discounts, be sure to check GameSpot's Deals Hub.

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A Minecraft Movie

$15 (was $30)

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While it's not surprising that a game as popular as Minecraft would make for one of the highest-grossing films of the year, A Minecraft Movie's staggering $957 million box office run is still impressive nonetheless. The movie recently launched on Blu-ray earlier this year, and thanks to Amazon's Prime Big Deal Days sale, you can grab A Minecraft Movie on 4K Blu-ray for just $15--that's a 50% drop from its standard $30 MSRP. Like other Prime Big Deal Days discounts, this price cut will only be available until the event ends on October 8.

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