Today is a somewhat unusual day for game releases, as two high-profile games that originated as console exclusives are now leaping to competing platforms. Sony's Helldivers 2 launched today on Xbox, with Microsoft's Gears of War: Reloaded debuting on PlayStation 5.

Sony announced that it was bringing Helldivers 2 to Xbox back in July, while Microsoft's announcement of Gears of War: Reloaded in May confirmed a PS5 release.

The launches are notable in part because of what they say about the evolving landscape for games. Microsoft has been embracing a multiplatform release strategy for some time now, and Gears is just the latest effort for Microsoft to put its games on the biggest console platform in a bid to make more money.

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One of the biggest surprises from Summer Game Fest earlier this year was Lumines Arise, a Tetris Effect-style psychedelic puzzle and rhythm game from Enhance--developers of Tetris Effect Connected. Today, Enhance has announced that Lumines Arise will drop its puzzler beats on consoles and PC November 11--and that a demo is available now on Steam and the PlayStation Store.

Lumines Arise is a reimagining of the classic puzzle series Lumines, which was developed by Q Entertainment and first released in 2004 for the PSP. Each Lumines session sees players drop 2x2 blocks--which are made up of smaller squares in two different colors--onto a playing area, and by doing so, they will create larger blocks in order to score points.

Lumines AriseGallery

A demo for Lumines Arise is available starting today on both PlayStation Network and Steam, and it will feature the first three stages of the single-player Journey mode, as well as a new multiplayer mode called Burst Battle. The demo will only be available to download for one week, as it is set to leave both marketplaces on September 3.

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When Overwatch debuted in 2016, it came with an eclectic cast of characters and a backstory that was explored through animated shorts. The mythology of the franchise has only gotten deeper since Overwatch 2 followed in 2022. And the game's director, Aaron Keller, is still hopeful about the franchise getting its own TV series.

During a recent interview with GameSpot, Keller was asked about the potential of a large-scale Overwatch story along the lines of Netflix's Castlevania and Arcane adaptations. His response offered some hope that it may happen someday.

"The team would love to have something like that come out," said Keller. "You know, we're also fans of those shows and fans of those universes. To have something like that for Overwatch would be really, really cool. But I can't really discuss the plans for future stuff like that."

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It's no exaggeration to say that the opening hour of Clive Barker's Hellraiser: Revival has some of the most gruesome sights I have ever seen in a video game.

Games have regularly pushed the boundaries of ultra violence, including Mortal Kombat's fatalities and the grisly cycle of violence depicted in The Last of Us Part 2. But the graphic content depicted in Saber Interactive's twisted adaptation of the infamous horror series is on another level, committing itself to be as true to the British author and director's original nightmarish creation as possible, and completely unfiltered.

This means you're not just coming across a brutally mutilated corpse without actually seeing how they met their horrible demise. A woman's mouth is pulled with a hook while more dig into her bare skin before her whole back is opened up. A nail is hammered through a man's hand and into the arm of a chair, which he's also pinned to with stitches from his stomach. Even the leftover body parts of victims are not just left as idle backdrops but something you will need to reach into and interact with.

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Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds is quickly approaching the finish line, scheduled to launch in September. I got the chance to play the kart racer for a second time recently, and my opinion of the game is largely unchanged from my verdict during Summer Game Fest: It's dropping the best aspects of its predecessors to become something closer to Mario Kart. This second session, I spent a little more time with the game, getting a chance to race on additional tracks and play as the previously unavailable Hatsune Miku and Ichiban Kasuga.

CrossWorlds sees you jump into a kart or onto a hoverboard and compete against several other racers from Sega's catalog of Sonic characters (plus a few guests from other franchises!). Each race across the 24 different tracks is three laps, with the second taking place in an entirely different world after the racers teleport through a travel ring. Whichever competitor is in the lead as the racers approach the second lap chooses which world everyone hops over to, with two options given at random from a total pool of 15 other worlds.

It's an interesting gimmick, best seen in the Grand Prix mode that was the focus of both the SGF preview and my latest hands-on. In that mode, you're awarded a number of points depending on your place, which are added up at the end of a series of races to determine the ultimate winner. Each Grand Prix is four races, with the fourth and final race taking place across the three previous tracks--the first lap is on the track from the first race, the second lap is on the track of the second race, and so on.

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Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom - Nintendo Switch 2 Amiibo

$20 (was $40)

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Street Fighter 6 - Nintendo Switch 2 Amiibo

$20 (was $40)

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The Legend of Zelda and Street Fighter 6 Amiibo figures that launched alongside the Nintendo Switch 2 are steeply discounted at Amazon and GameStop. All four Tears of the Kingdom Sages are on sale for $20 each, down from $30. The trio of Street Fighter 6 characters are also available for $20, but these are 50% discounts, since each one retails for an eye-watering $40. Fans can also snag the GameStop-exclusive Street Fighter 6 Amiibo Card Starter Set for $20 (was $40).

At the time of writing, GameStop had all seven Zelda and Street Fighter Switch 2 Amiibo for $20 each, but Amazon only has four figures for this price: Tulin and Sidon from The Legend of Zelda and Luke and Jamie from Street Fighter. That said, we'd recommend checking the store pages for all seven figures, because Amazon's prices have changed a couple times already. It's likely Amazon will soon price match the other two Sages from Zelda.

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Without being hyperbolic--and as someone who has been an on-and-off again Overwatch fan since the original game's release back in 2016--I don't mean it lightly when I say that I believe Overwatch has never been better.

I've critiqued the series quite a bit throughout the years. In my Overwatch 2 review, I wrote at length about how it felt "detached from the principles and charm of the original," was seemingly struggling to retain its identity, and how its new monetization models felt disingenuous and "at odds with the spirit of the original Overwatch." Harsh words, yes, but I meant them. I was frustrated by what one of my all-time favorite games had become, and worried that I'd be chasing the same bliss I felt playing in 2017 endlessly and to no avail.

So, with all that said, how did we get here?

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Fans of cooperative climbing game Peak know that ticks aren't the only bug in the game, and for the last week they've been subject to a particularly frustrating one that developers are now aware of and working to resolve: the brand new biome, the Mesa, has been missing for the last week, with only the original Alpine biome showing up in the game's seed-generated maps.

"For the last 7 days, every map has had the ALPINE," developer Team Peak wrote in a post on the game's Steam page. "Players are starting to wonder if the MESA was a dream all along. A mirage."

The developers chalk this up to one of two potential causes. One is that "[the game's map generator] randomly rolled ALPINE 7 days in a row which has a 0.78% chance of happening." While that's possible, they submit another potential cause: "Orrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr its (sic) a bug."

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Nintendo World Championships: NES Edition - Deluxe Set

$40 (was $60)

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Best Buy has a handful of awesome deals on first-party Nintendo Switch games this week. Regardless of whether you prefer physical or digital games, you can take advantage of almost all of the offers. The exception is Nintendo World Championships: NES Edition - Deluxe Set, because the eShop cannot dispense collectibles through the vents on your console. On sale for a new all-time best price of $40 (was $60), the retro-fueled party game's collector's edition comes packaged in an oversized display box filled with nostalgic merch.

Inside the box, you'll find a replica gold NES cartridge with a sleeve and display stand, 13 Nintendo art cards, and five enamel pins featuring 8-bit depictions of Mario, Link, Samus, and Donkey Kong as well as the Nintendo World Championships logo.

Nintendo Switch Game Deals at Best Buy

Here's a list of the Switch exclusives on sale at Best Buy. The other one that stands out is Emio - The Smiling Man, as this is the first discount yet for the latest entry in Nintendo's Famicom Detective Club series. Walmart and Best Buy have a couple of these Switch game deals, too.

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PS5 Slim NBA 2K26 Bundle

Pricing TBA

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Sony recently announced a new NBA 2K26 PS5 Slim Bundle is set to arrive on September 5. As the name implies, this will include the PS5 Slim model with a disc drive, a DualSense controller, and the upcoming NBA 2K26. It's arriving on September 5, the same day NBA 2K26 launches on PS5, Xbox, PC, and Nintendo Switch. We're still waiting on pricing details for the new bundle, but considering Sony increased the PS5's price on August 21, we're expecting it to be more expensive than previous bundles. Still, bundles like this are always popular, so set a reminder for September 5 if you're thinking about picking one up.

PS5 Slim NBA 2K26 Bundle Pricing TBA

The PS5 Slim NBA 2K26 Bundle pulls together a PlayStation 5 console, DualSense Controller, and a digital voucher for NBA 2K26. It's unclear what format the game is--tough judging by previous bundles, we expect it will be a digial code.

The bigger question is price. The base PS5 Slim now costs $550 (was $500) and PS5 Slim Digital costs $500 (was $450--and before that was $400 at launch), we're expecting this to be pricier than previous bundles. For example, a PS5 Slim Digital Call of Duty Black Ops 6 Bundle was previously available for just $400, offering a value of $570. The bundle didn't last long at that promotional price, and we'd expect this upcoming NBA 2K26 bundle to be much more expensive. At the very least, we're hoping the bundle ends up being cheaper than buying everything individually. Expect to learn more as we quickly approach its September 5 release date. Availability of the bundle will vary by region. Most markets should find it on PlayStation Direct, though other local retailers may also have inventory.

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If you're worried about pricing--or don't need NBA 2K26, consider grabbing a PS5 at Amazon. The online retailer still offers all three PS5 models at their previous price points--meaning you can get the PS5 Slim for $500, the PS5 Slim Digital for $450, or the PS5 Pro for $700. We don't know how long these prices will remain, so grab one while you can.

PS5 Consoles at Amazon

• PS5 Slim -- $500
• PS5 Slim Digital -- $450
• PS5 Pro -- $700

For those looking to pick up NBA 2K26 on its own, you can preorder it now on PS5 and all other platforms. There are three editions of the game available, all of which include 10,000 Virtual Currency as a preorder bonus. Physical preorders for the $70 standard edition are available now at multiple online retailers. You can also grab the digital-only $100 Leave No Doubt Edition and $150 Superstar Edition that include a bunch of exclusive content, a Season Pass, and 7-day early access to the full game starting August 28. See our NBA 2K26 preorder guide for more information.

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Besides creating many iconic cult movies like Halloween, The Thing, and Escape From New York, you may also be aware that filmmaker John Carpenter is an ardent fan of video games. Has he then finally decided to make one? Well, yes and no. Toxic Commando may bear his name in the title, but the real credit goes to developer and publisher Saber Interactive. Still, after playing this apocalyptic co-op first-person shooter for the first time at Gamescom 2025, I see how it bears his influence. This isn't just a cynical marketing stunt to put his name on the box.

"We wanted to kind of tap into those '80s horror and over-the-top action films like Big Trouble in Little China, so we reached out to Carpenter, who was like, 'Yeah, this is great,'" said Saber's chief creative officer, Tim Willits. "He's played the game with us, he's helped with some concepts, he's been good about saying, 'Focus on these types of things when you tell this type of story.'"

It may be more accurate to describe Carpenter as having more of a consulting role rather than being deeply involved in development. But his role is also more hands-on at least in some areas: The director famously composed some of the themes for his own influential movies, and has written music that will be incorporated into the game.

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Game director-writer Hideo Kojima has commented on the future of the Death Stranding franchise, saying he has no plans to make Death Stranding 3 at the moment, though he does have an idea for it.

"I am not planning to do [Death Stranding 3] at the moment," he told an audience in Riyadh recently through a translator. "Because the ending of Death Stranding 2 was my finale of 1 and 2. But I already wrote the concept of DS3." He added, "I hope that someone will create it for me."

Kojima's comments in his lengthy interview were first spotted by Genki.

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Turok knows a thing or two about rebirth. The original character debuted in a 1950s comic book but came to wider attention after Valiant Comics revived him as Turok: Dinosaur Hunter in the early '90s. It was this comic that became the basis for the game series that began on the N64, which was arguably the most influential console-based shooter of the time after GoldenEye. Following 17 years of dormancy after the mixed reception of its 2008 self-titled reboot (while it wasn't actually a commercial flop, a sequel was nonetheless canned), Saber Interactive has stepped up to the plate to make the cycle begin anew with Turok: Origins.

I was admittedly skeptical when it was first announced at last year's Game Awards, as it seemed to be a third-person co-op shooter. The good news from my first hands-on at Gamescom 2025 is that the game can be played in both first- and third-person, and while this preview session was about getting a feel for the co-op PvE gameplay for up to three players, members of Saber Interactive's Madrid-based team assured us that it will also be possible to play the game solo without AI allies, so as to stay true to the original single-player experience of the series.

But most importantly, Turok: Origins gets back to the fundamental core of what you want from a Turok game: killing dinosaurs with big guns.

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It might be easier to score tickets to a Sabrina Carpenter concert than it is to obtain Switch 2 development kits. Almost 12 weeks after the console's launch, developers--big and small--are reportedly still struggling to get them.

Digital Foundry discussed the Switch 2 dev kit situation on its weekly podcast (via Insider Gaming). "Nintendo seems to be almost discouraging Switch 2 development to some degree, where I've spoken with plenty of developers where they were either told that their game, they should just ship it on Switch 1 and rely on backwards compatibility," said John Linneman, a senior staff writer for Digital Foundry. "There’s a lot of developers that are unable to get Switch 2 dev kits. We talked to a lot of devs at Gamescom this year and so many of them said the same things." GameSpot has reached out to Nintendo for comment.

This has been an ongoing story surrounding Switch 2 from before launch and even as recently as last month. In April, a report surfaced stating that small developers were struggling to get their hands on dev kits for the hybrid system. But it's not just indie teams, as a July report pointed to some AAA studios having a hard time acquiring them, too. This could be why there haven't been a slew of major third-party releases, or announcements, for the system lately.

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Nearly 25 years from its initial release on the Nintendo Gamecube, Super Smash Bros. Melee continues to be one of the most popular games in the platform fighting franchise, particularly in the modding community. One modder, Mooshies, decided to add one of gaming's newest icons to the battle: Jimbo from Balatro.

The jolly jester's Smash Bros. Melee variant is a reskin of Mr. Game and Watch, with all of the movements and attacks of Mr. G+W intact. However, Mooshies's mod replaces all of the original character's weapons and sound effects with cards, images, and sounds from the 2024 smash hit roguelike.

Mooshies released a brief gameplay trailer showing Jimbo in action, along with the wild and wacky way he uses the recognizable jokers and card packs from Balatro in matches against Falco, Marth, and more. This was originally released as a paid mod, but Melee players interested in trying Jimbo out can find the mod on Mooshies's Patreon page.

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Ysbryd Games has officially announced the delay of Demonschool's release, shifting its launch date from September 3 to November 19. The decision, described as one made with "anguished consideration," comes in response to an unexpectedly competitive release window, headlined by the announcement of Hollow Knight: Silksong's September 4 debut--and it's not the first game delayed because of the surprise release.

This surprise timing left the indie publisher little choice but to reconsider. "Crueler still," noted the press release, written by founder Brian Kwek, "that we should find out with such short notice that Hollow Knight: Silksong will launch just one day after our planned release for Demonschool."

The publisher emphasized the difficult nature of launching a title in 2025 due to the early fall season being increasingly crowded, with other major titles such as the Final Fantasy Tactics remaster, Pokemon Legends: Z-A, and Ghost of Yotei launching within weeks of each other. For those unfamiliar, Demonschool is a new-style tactics RPG with some clear Persona influence sprinkled in.

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In 2024, Sony shut down its live-service shooter Concord after only two weeks, as it became one the publisher's most prominent failures. According to Sony Interactive Entertainment chief executive of studio business Hermen Hulst, the biggest lesson from Concord was that more oversight is needed during the development process.

"We have since put in place much more rigorous and more frequent testing in very many different ways," Hulst told Financial Times. "The advantage of every failure ... is that people now understand how necessary that [oversight] is."

Hulst went on to explain that he wants Sony's PlayStation studios to make big swings when conceiving future franchises. However, he would also like to catch the failures before they launch.

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When it was announced back at E3 2021, Replaced received a lot of buzz. With striking cyberpunk-inspired visuals and theatrical combat, Replaced aimed to bring more action-oriented mechanics to the burgeoning genre of cinematic platformers. Now, over four years after its initial reveal, Replaced has a release window--and it's coming to Xbox Game Pass on day one.

In a new trailer, developer Sad Cat Studios announced that the game is finally slated for release in Spring 2026. Over the course of the video, the developer shows off some of the progress that's been made over the years, including how Sad Cat has improved environments, animations, and other details. Check it out (via IGN) in the embed below.

In a post on Steam, game director Yura Zhdanovich acknowledged the long wait and shared that the game will be wrapping up production soon. While he still did not give a specific release date, it's a lot closer than we've gotten to this point. In addition, at the end of the video, Sad Cat states that the final game trailer will be coming later this year--which is possibly when we'll get more details.

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Borderlands 4 makes Gearbox boss Randy Pitchford "a little nervous" because some parts of the game are "more challenging" than players might be expecting. Speaking to Insider Gaming, Pitchford said there are many Borderlands players who aren't looking for much challenge out of their experience, and parts of the game might test them like the franchise has not before.

"We have lots of players that actually aren't interested in deep, hard challenges; lots of people that love just exploring the Borderlands or spending time with the characters," Pitchford said. "I'm a little nervous because there are points of Borderlands 4 that are more challenging."

The executive went on to say that if any players are struggling, they can "just grind somewhere" and level up their character to become more powerful to help them get past where they are stuck.

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With Borderlands 4, developer Gearbox is aiming to dial back the comedy and give players a more grounded storyline, which can lead to chuckle-worthy moments that feel organic, not forced.

Speaking to IGN, Gearbox narrative director Sam Winkler, lead writer Taylor Clark, and managing director of narrative properties Lin Joyce spoke about how the Borderlands 3 expansions helped lay the groundwork for the story of Borderlands 4.

"I've been on the game for a couple of years, and it was definitely something from the moment that I came on-board, when I was talking to Sam, the grounded tone was a priority," Clark said. "Grounding the humor in the world, he made it very clear that if I tried to put a meme in the game, he would come to my house with a baseball bat [laughs]. So, it was definitely in the brief from the beginning to make the tone fit the world."

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