Pokemon TCG Pocket's next expansion arrives on September 29. This set is called Deluxe Pack ex, and it guarantees at least one rare card in every pack. However, unlike previous expansions, it will only be available for a limited time.

According to the official Pokemon website, every Deluxe Pack ex pack will include "one card with a rarity of ♦♦♦♦ or higher from previous expansions, from Genetic Apex to Wisdom of Sea and Sky." Moreover, the expansion will introduce "parallel foil" cards that boast a special shine effect, as well as older cards with new artwork. You can take a look at some of the cards in the trailer below.

As mentioned, unlike previous Pokemon TCG Pocket expansions, the Deluxe Pack ex set will only be available through October 29, giving you a month to take advantage of the improved rates and fill out your card collection. However, the game has a few events lined up for that time period, including a Raichu ex drop event and a special Bonus Week event.

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In late 2022, Henry Cavill announced his departure from Netflix's The Witcher. In his place, Liam Hemsworth will take over the role of Geralt of Rivia for the show's fourth and fifth seasons. Ahead of Season 4's debut next month, Hemsworth has revealed that he was very aware of the backlash against his casting. That's why he largely swore off the internet during that time.

"There was quite a bit of noise and I had to put that aside," Hemsworth told Entertainment Weekly. "It started to become a distraction. I dealt with that sort of thing in the past a lot and, you know, at the end of the day, I love making movies and I love telling stories and acting. I just don't want any of that to affect my way of telling the story that I'm trying to tell. I jumped off social media and the internet most of last year."

Hemsworth also noted that Season 4 picks up shortly after the conclusion of Season 3, with Geralt feeling battered physically and mentally.

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Doug Bowser, the final boss in Nintendo's Mushroom Kingdom, will say goodbye to the company he's been with for over a decade. Bowser will step down on December 31, with executive vice president Devon Pritchard taking his presidential throne.

In a press release shared by BusinessWire, Bowser said it's been "an honor" leading Nintendo in the past decade and he's "proud" of what the team has accomplished for the business and consumers. He went on to praise Pritchard, saying NOA is ready for new blood.

"Now, it's time for the next generation of leadership and Devon’s track record speaks for itself," he said. "She is an exceptional leader, and her promotion is a testament to her strong performance and strategic contributions to the company's growth. I have full confidence that she will guide the company to even greater heights."

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I still can't believe this is really happening. Longtime Yakuza fans can finally delete all their sad tweet drafts after the recent Ryu Ga Gotoku Summit, because Yakuza Kiwami 3 is real and, from what we've seen, it offers way more than anyone expected.

I played the original Yakuza 3 after Kiwami 1 and 2 because I wanted to experience the series in chronological order, but going back to a time when the series was less technically capable right after the two gorgeous Dragon Engine remakes ended up being a challenge. Yakuza 3 was released back in 2009, and the gameplay now feels considerably broken and outdated from a modern standpoint. The difficulty scaling in boss fights felt unfair and most of the time, I ended up intensely button mashing through battles, hoping to finally break blocks before getting annihilated with just a few hits. Outside of fighting the game felt slow and clunky. I wanted to enjoy Kiryu's downtime in Okinawa, but the dragged-out interactions almost ruined the experience for me, not to mention those early '00s face models when the gaming industry couldn't quite figure out what a child looks like.

However, the game managed to save itself for me by having one of the most heartfelt stories in Kiryu's saga, with memorable characters that fans still gush about today. My experience may have been frustrating at times, but those rare, peaceful moments Kiryu spent with the orphans and his relationships with other Yakuza 3-exclusive characters are still some of my biggest highlights in the whole series.

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As rumored earlier this year, developers Playground Games and Turn 10 Studios are bringing Forza Horizon 6 to Japan. While the announcement trailer didn't show off much beyond Mount Fuji in the background, Xbox Game Studios spared no expense to help the devs understand Japanese culture for the game. That included hiring a cultural consultant to guide them throughout development.

On Xbox Wire, cultural consultant, Kyoko Yamashita explained why the Forza Horizon 6 team felt the need to have a deeper knowledge about Japan while recreating it for the game.

"Japan is widely loved, but it can also be widely misread when you only see it from afar," said Yamashita. "The team wanted to present more than a postcard or a backdrop; they wanted a lived-in world. Having a cultural consultant early helps you make a thousand small, respectful decisions: how neighborhoods sound, even what a sign color communicates about a shop. Those small choices add up to credibility and help avoid stereotypes, while also making it a truly immersive experience for players."

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The United States government has announced that Amazon must pay $2.5 billion to settle claims that the company duped people into signing up for Prime and "knowingly made it difficult" for people to cancel. The Federal Trade Commission said Amazon will be forced to pay $1 billion in a civil penalty and $1.5 billion in refunds to consumers. Also as part of the settlement, Amazon must agree to "cease unlawful enrollment and cancellation practices for Prime."

It takes Amazon about 13 hours to make $1 billion, so the penalty isn't likely to hurt the company financially, but the FTC touted the precedent that's being set here.

What did the FTC say?

FTC chairman Andrew N. Ferguson said, "The evidence showed that Amazon used sophisticated subscription traps designed to manipulate consumers into enrolling in Prime, and then made it exceedingly hard for consumers to end their subscription."

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Call of Duty Mobile Season 9: Midnight Rumble launches next month. This new season of mobile Call of Duty is a mix of Halloween and WWE crossover content. Haunted Hacienda, Attack of the Undead, and Hordepoint return. Plus, there are limited-time modes designed for the WWE collaboration.

Table of Contents [hide]

• Season 9 start date details
• Battle pass details

Season 9 start date details

Season 9: Midnight Rumble starts on October 1 at 5 PM PT / 8 PM ET. This new season includes a brand-new battle pass with both free and premium items. The Season 9 battle pass contains a host of free and premium items, including many items to fit the spooky holiday theme.

Battle pass details

The main highlights of the free battle-pass tiers are the World War II-era Sten submachine gun and the Sentry Gun Steadygun scorestreak. However, this new scoresteak seems to be just a visual reskin of Call of Duty's standard sentry gun.

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After revealing a new subscription program for the 12-year-old crime sim Payday 2, developer Starbreeze Studios subsequently increased a DLC bundle pack by 44% from $118 to $170. Now, in response to the backlash, the team has apologized, reverting the price to its original amount after admitting it "messed up."

Starbreeze's head of commercial, Gustav Nisser, told PC Gamer that the Infamous Collection's 44% jump was not tied to the introduction of the new Payday 2: Subscription, a $5/month program that gives you access to a plethora of the game's DLC packs. While fans reportedly thought that the Infamous Collection's price hike was in some way a funnel toward the Subscription service, Nisser said it was all just really bad timing.

"If we had realized the change would be happening so close to the subscription launch, we wouldn't have done it," Nisser said. "In addition, we always aim to communicate upcoming price changes to our community and in this case we missed doing that as well. So basically we messed up in a couple of different ways, particularly both internal coordination and community communication and ... the results speak for themselves. The community has been pretty clear that they felt it looked like we were trying to push people into the subscription, and I completely understand that. For better or worse that's not the case, literally just a mishap."

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Robot Chicken: The Complete Series (DVD)

$100 | Releases October 21

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Adult Swim has been home to several iconic TV series over the years, but when it comes to riffing on pop culture, nothing compares to Robot Chicken. The legendary stop-motion animated series has been around for 20 years now, and soon all 11 seasons of the show will be available in a new DVD box set, Robot Chicken: The Complete Series, launching on October 21. Preorders for the collection are available for $105 at Amazon.

Robot Chicken: The Complete Series (DVD) $100 | Releases October 21

Developed by Seth Green and Matthew Senreich, Robot Chicken was essentially an animated version of the Twisted Toyfare Theater comics seen in the monthly Toyfair magazine published by Wizard Entertainment. Senreich had worked as Wizard's editorial director, and after collaborating with Green on the web-series Sweet J Presents, the pair started work on Robot Chicken for Adult Swim. If you've never seen it, the show primarily lampoons movies, TV series, and comic books, using various action figures that have been brought to life via stop-motion animation.

What set it apart from other parodies was that the show pushed its sketches to the extreme, with early examples being Optimus Prime getting his prostate checked or the disembodied head of Walt Disney going on a rampage--via a mechanized body--to satiate his hunger for the flesh of Cuban children. Each episode was around 12 minutes long and crammed with sketches, many of which featured celebrity voice-actors.

While special features haven't been revealed yet, we do know that all 223 episodes are included here, including the longer specials themed around Star Wars, DC, Christmas, The Walking Dead, and Archie Comics. While there will be more Robot Chicken in the future, the show is moving away from seasons and there will instead be quarterly specials.

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Some of Adult Swim's other fan-favorite series have received similar DVD box set collections over the years--including one of the network's longest-running animated series, Aqua Teen Hunger Force. The show follows the surreal lives of sentient fast food products Master Shake, Frylock, and Meatwad across 12 seasons and two theatrical films. Fans can grab the giant 20-disc Aqua Teen Hunger Force: The Baffler Meal Complete Collection, which includes all 12 seasons of the show on DVD, as well as the first feature film, Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film For Theaters For DVD. The collection is available for $90 at Amazon. The second movie, Aqua Teen Forever: Plantasm, is available separately on Blu-ray for $14 or 4K for $22.

Another standout series from Adult Swim's roster is Metalocalypse. The series follows the world's greatest death metal band, Dethklok, and the sinister forces watching over them. While the storyline begins as a lighthearted homage to heavy metal music and culture, it gradually evolves over its four seasons into a heavy metal-tinged epic about the end of the world, culminating in a two-part film finale. The Metalocalypse: The Complete Series DVD box set includes all the episodes of the TV series and the first feature film, The DoomStar Requiem, for $51.42 (was $125). To complete the saga, you can also grab the second film, Metalocalypse: Army of the Doomstar on Blu-ray for $14.25.

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EA's new Skate is finally playable for everyone via free Early Access. Although the skateboarding feels good, most players don't love the Fortnite-ification (or the copious microtransactions and Sims-esque looking character models) of the iconic skate sim. The developers at Full Circle have heard these complaints about the high-contrast visuals and, with the imminent launch of Season 1, will address the game's look to feel "more grounded and lived in."

In a lengthy X post, Full Circle reiterated that the look of the game is ever-evolving. Referencing an August 15 blog, where the team promised that Skate's aesthetic would improve to add "even more detail and personality," Full Circle revealed what this "detail and personality" will start to look like when Season 1 drops on October 7.

https://t.co/a7jz2jyKCa

— skate. (@skate) September 25, 2025

The change, as part of update .28 arriving on the same day as Season 1, gives San Vansterdam a "more grounded and lived in" feel. What Full Circle showed off was a drop in contrast, washing the world in a golden glow. The team said this is "San Van at 'Golden Hour.'"

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With each new day we're inching closer and closer to a new edition of Fortnitemares, the annual spooky battle royale event that Fortnite holds each October. While Epic has not yet announced this year's event, or even teased it, there's no doubt it's coming--Fortnitemares is one of Fortnite's most beloved annual traditions.

There have been several leaks about this year's Fortnite Halloween party--about cosmetics and gameplay changes alike--so we actually know a decent amount about what to expect even though Epic hasn't begun promoting it. Let's take a look at what we know, and think we know, so far about Fortnitemares 2025.

Table of Contents [hide]

• When does Fortnitemares 2025 start?

When does Fortnitemares 2025 start?

We don't know, but there will be major Fortnite updates on both October 2 (for the new OG season) and October 9 (for the new Festival season), and either of those dates could also mark the start of the new Fortnitemares. It's worth noting that the new OG season is Season 6, which originally gave us the first proper Fortnitemares event back in 2018, so it would make plenty of sense to start this year's Fortnitemares at the same time. But, again, we don't know when Fortnitemares 2025 will begin. We just have educated guesses.

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Hades 2 has officially launched in full, and the day-one patch notes reveal just how far the game has come since it started its early-access journey. Currently available for PC and Switch consoles, the 1.0 version of Hades arrives with a substantial number of changes to the game, ranging from minor tweaks to new additions that'll keep you exploring the Underworld for hours on end.

Some of the biggest highlights here include the true ending of the game, so if you want to see how Princess Melinoe's story really concludes, you'll want to go give Chronos a good kicking. Supergiant Games added that this ending will not change key events in the game, and earning it will unlock the final Vow of Rivals rank. Getting to that ending is quite the achievement, and one that will be celebrated with some digital kudos, as 50 different achievements have been unlocked as well.

You do not need to start the game over to earn any achievements, so once you load it up, you may be pleasantly surprised to find these retroactively added to your account. Players can also expect new artwork--like visual effects, environmental art, and other visual improvements--new music to listen to, more decorations to liven up the Crossroads, and even more Keepsakes to collect. Beyond that, there are scores of tweaks to virtually every part of Hades 2, from combat to character animations and much more.

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A major new patch for Borderlands 4 has arrived, adding the promised field of view (FOV) slider on console, making stability and performance improvements, and tweaking some rewards and progression elements.

It's a beefy patch, but it's not the end of Gearbox's ongoing support, as the developer also said there were "too many" buffs for Vault Hunters to fit into this update, so these changes are coming in their own balance update that is targeting release early next week. That said, this newest patch does indeed contain Vault Hunter changes and balance adjustments for Harlowe the Gravitar, Amon the Forgeknight, Vex the Siren, and Rafa the Exo-Soldier. You can see the specific changes in the patch notes below.

Since Borderlands 4 launched earlier this month, players on console and PC have complained about stability and performance issues, and this patch addresses both of those concerns. It also addresses instances of crashes, hitching, and low FPS. Gearbox said it's work continues and it will make "further improvements to stability and performance" in the future.

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Over the last couple of years, developer Insomniac Games has earned critical acclaim for its work on Marvel's Spider-Man series. Following two main Spider-Man games and the Miles Morales game, the studio's next project is one that has Marvel fans excited as a legendary mutant is stepping back into the spotlight.

The last time that Wolverine had a solo game was all the way back in 2009 with X-Men Origins: Wolverine. A tie-in game to the film of the same name, Raven Software's single-player adventure was a gruesome and action-packed spectacle of blood, guts, and adamantium claws. More than a decade later, Insomniac's take on the X-Man is looking like a spiritual successor, and while the game is still deep in development, a few new details about Marvel's Wolverine have been revealed recently.

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More PlayStation classics are coming to PlayStation Plus Premium before the end of the year, with Sony announcing a pair of well-loved fighting game threequels and a remake of a beloved action-adventure game are all joining the service.

Sony announced Soul Calibur 3, Tekken 3, and Tomb Raider: Anniversary will be playable for PS Plus Premium subscribers, the service's most expensive tier, later this year. The news came as part of Sony's most recent PlayStation State of Play presentation.

Tekken 3 originally released on PS1 in 1998 and is often regarded as one of the best fighting games of all time, and was the first entry in the series to introduce the "Tekken Force" sidescrolling beat-'em-up mode.

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Simultaneous: A Novel (Hardcover)

$28 | Releases October 28

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Arrival was one of the best movies of 2016, earning “Universal Acclaim” on Metacritic and landing Academy Awards nominations for Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Cinematography, among many others. The screenwriter for Arrival, Eric Heisserer, is now set to release his debut novel--Simultaneous: A Novel--on October 28. It sounds every bit as impressive as Arrival, and it’s already earning tons of early praise. Preorders are now open at Amazon, so give it a look if you want a mind-bending thriller to help ease you into these chilly fall nights.

Simultaneous: A Novel (Hardcover) $28 | Releases October 28

Simultaneous follows Grant Lukather, a federal agent working in the Predictive Analytics department of Homeland Security. He’s tasked with listening to potential terrorists’ conversations and preempting any attacks. And when he learns of a potential explosion in New Mexico, he’ll set out on a mission with unexpectedly high stakes.

Along the way, he’ll meet up with Sarah Newcomb--a therapist who has recently discovered a strange phenomenon while practicing hypnosis. The two, along with help from one of Newcomb’s patients, will set out on a thrilling quest that takes place across not just multiple locations, but multiple timelines and consciousnesses. The novel is earning plenty of praise from big names like Josh Malerman, the author of Bird Box, who said “Heisserer has outdone himself.” Leigh Bardugo, the author behind the Shadow and Bone trilogy, called it, “A twisty, mind-bending thriller that will keep you guessing until the final gut punch.”

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Since Simultaneous: A Novel doesn’t release until October 28, you can bide your time by watching the Arrival 4K Blu-ray, which is just $16.21 on Amazon. It includes both the 4K and standard Blu-ray versions of the film, along with a selection of bonus features that detail the movie's creation, as well as the scientific and anthropological ideas underlying its sci-fi concepts.

Looking for more mind-bending novels? Check out 1Q84 by Haruki Murakami or Bright Eternity by Daniel Zeigler. The former follows Aomame, a character who notices the world around her is suddenly starting to look different--and she believes she somehow has entered a parallel reality. A paperback version is available for $14.87 (was $22), though there’s also a newly released 1Q84 Hardcover from The Folio Society that looks absolutely stunning, thanks to a vibrant purple design and surreal illustrations.

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Capcom developers have discussed the upcoming Switch 2 version of Resident Evil Requiem, saying the studio was impressed by the hardware and that it "just made sense."

Producer Masato Kumazawa told VGC, that, "We were surprised in a good way about how smooth the process was for us" to bring Requiem to Switch 2.

"It just made sense that we felt that we don't need to wait on this one or do a separate project after the main game; we can just bring the main game to this hardware immediately," he said.

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Back-to-back Black Ops game releases are somewhat worrying from a fatigue perspective for Call of Duty developer Treyarch. Black Ops 7 is set to launch November 14, just a little more than a year after Call of Duty: Black Ops 6.

Speaking with CharlieIntel, Treyarch senior director of production Yale Miller discussed whether launching Black Ops 7 right after Black Ops 6 was a concern for the team. "I think the honest answer is yes. I worry about that," said Miller via Dexerto. "Obviously, there was a plan with the two [Modern Warfare] games and then this. We'll see what the franchise does in the future."

Miller pointed out that Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 and Modern Warfare 3 followed a similar pattern in 2022 and 2023, respectively. To combat possible Black Ops fatigue, Miller laid out Treyarch's strategy with Black Ops 7.

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Code Vein II Standard Edition

$70 | Releases January 30

Preorder at Amazon

Code Vein II Deluxe Edition

$90 | Releases January 27

Preorder at PlayStation Store Preorder at Xbox Store Preorder at Steam

Code Vein II Ultimate Edition

$100 | Releases January 27

Preorder at Amazon

Code Vein II Collector’s Edition

$180 | Releases January 27

Preorder at Bandai Namco

Code Vein, the anime Souls-like from 2019, is finally getting a sequel when Code Vein II launches for PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC on January 7. Early gameplay footage looks promising, showing off a post-apocalyptic world filled with deadly enemies players will face off against in a frantic, Dark Souls-inspired combat system. Preorders for the game are live now--so if you're planning to start the new year with the game, consider reserving a copy ahead of time. There are multiple versions available--including a $70 standard edition, $90 Digital Deluxe Edition, $100 Ultimate Edition, and a giant $180 Collector's Edition. Preordering even gets you a few exclusive preorder bonuses, and a few editions also let you play the game 72 hours early.

Code Vein II Preorder BonusesCode Vein II Preorder Bonus

Preorder any version of Code Vein II, and you’ll unlock the Stylized Forma Set. This DLC includes two in-game pieces of gear: the Twin Fangs of the Lone Wolf weapon and Forma Face Paint.

Additionally, the Digital Deluxe Edition, Ultimate Edition, and Collector's Edition all offer up to 72-hour early access to the full game, starting January 27.

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As part of Konami's Tokyo Game Show briefing today, the company announced that Metal Gear Solid: Snake Eater's Fox Hunt multiplayer mode will launch on October 30.

Fox Hunt, which was previously announced, is an evolution of Metal Gear Online. The mode puts players into "cat-and-mouse encounters" as players must sneak around and survive.

See at Amazon

Fox Hunt supports online matches with up to 12 players, and there will be two modes. The first of these is called Survival Capture, and it's described as a "tense, multi-phase mission" where players must capture Kerotan frogs. The number of frogs decreases as the match continues.

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