Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 developers Raven Software and Treyarch have just dropped a huge blog on the upcoming military shooter's new multiplayer offerings. It's pretty explosive in details--literally, as the teams have modified a mechanic to make it way more deadly.

If you've played Black Ops 6, then you should be familiar with the Body Shield. Sneaking up behind your enemy, this mechanic lets you grab them and use their bodies to soak up bullets as you shoot your way through. It's already pretty brutal, but in Black Ops 7, it can become explosive as you tack a grenade onto your body shield's back for a fiery finish.

"Once you have your adversary locked into a Body Shield, you can jam a grenade onto them and shove them forward," the developers wrote in the post. "They’ll stagger for a few seconds before the grenade detonates and other enemies can be caught in the explosion."

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A new trailer for Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 has arrived, and this one is focused entirely on multiplayer. The trailer shows off all 18 multiplayer maps that will be available at launch and all footage was captured in-game. The trailer is set to the song "FE!N" from Travis Scott ft. Playboi Carti.

The trailer shows off some of the new traversal systems, too, including wall-jumping, while some of the new scorestreaks, guns, and gadgets are on display here as well. Black Ops 7 is set in the year 2035, which helps explain why some of the gameplay looks semi-futuristic.

Some of the maps included at launch are three Black Ops 2 remasters: Express, Hijacked, and Raid. A selection of the maps will be available in the upcoming multiplayer beta.

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A new scientific study has found significant effects of open-world gaming on people's quality of life and emotional well-being. It also shows that playing games in tandem with watching nostalgia-inducing movies like Studio Ghibli's films can have an even bigger effect, indicating that different types of media can interact with each other.

Writing in the journal JMIR Serious Games, which focuses on games studies research, a team of scientists presents evidence that playing The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild can have a range of positive outcomes. Testing with a sample of postgraduate students--a community famous for its high levels of anxiety, dissatisfaction, and burnout--the authors show that playing Breath of the Wild on its own can help spark a sense of purpose and meaning. Further, this game helped people feel more calm, more adventurous, and more skillful in their lives outside of the game context.

Investigating potential interactions between games and watching film, the authors also instruct a subset of participants to play Breath of the Wild and watch a clip from Studio Ghibli's My Neighbor Totoro or Kiki's Delivery Service in close succession. Theorizing that the film clips spark a positive sense of nostalgia among participants, the authors find an even stronger effect on overall happiness and life purpose among this subset.

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Xbox boss Chris Charla, who runs Microsoft's independent gaming label ID@Xbox, has commented on the state of Game Pass and what developers are saying about it.

Speaking to Eurogamer, Charla said Microsoft worked with more than 50 developers in 2024 to sign their first Game Pass deals, and 2025 marks ID@Xbox's "largest investment in Game Pass to date."

"We remain focused on delivering the most exciting and diverse catalogue in gaming," he said.

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Stunt Challenges are one of the main goals you consistently have access to in Skate. They can be completed all across the map and offer terrific rewards for your character if you manage to finish all of the tasks included in the challenge. Of course, as you've likely already figured out, some of the Stunt Challenges in Skate feature extremely difficult tasks that seem impossible to complete at first glance.

One of the most infamous Stunt Challenges in the early life cycle of Skate is called "Good Luck," and it has four separate tasks you need to complete. The last of these tasks requires you to "Land in the Broken Globe," which is arguably the toughest goal in the entire game. To see the best way to complete this task and the Good Luck challenge in Skate, take a look at the guide below.

How to start the Good Luck challenge in Skate

The Good Luck Stunt Challenge can be started in the middle of the Hedgemont district in Skate. It's located between a few fast travel points and is indicated by a yellow diamond icon with a character wearing a skull helmet on it. Once you find it, you can head straight there or fast travel if you've unlocked one of the nearby points. At the challenge location, choose to begin the Stunt Challenge to start with your first task, which is to "Caveman onto the Rooftop."

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Just before the holiday rush comes to a head, Nintendo of America will reportedly start outsourcing its customer service support in October. However, the company disputes that it's doing anything but continuing to "evolve and expand [its] customer service experiences.

IGN reports that Nintendo of America is shifting all its customer service-related operations from the U.S. to South American countries. The contractors who performed these duties--which include "back office teams, fraud, financials, chargebacks, customer services, chatlogs, customer phone and email support, refunds, account bans, remote data transfers, repair support, everything customer support," as one described--will see their contracts phased out at the end of September. It's estimated that 200 workers will be impacted, many of whom have worked with the company for years. One contractor said that while there are still a few people running these operations on-site, "it’s all going away."

According to the contractors IGN spoke to on the condition of anonymity, Nintendo of America didn't provide any communication on the decision. However, as their employment comes to an end, the contractors must still help train the new hires before leaving their roles.

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Silent Hill f has plenty of shock and awe alongside no shortage of challenging combat encounters, but it also serves up more than encounters with gruesome foes. You'll also come across quite a few tricky puzzles on your path through its dark and unsettling world. One that may be tripping you up is the mural puzzle, which sports some hints that can seem a bit cryptic, leaving you to wonder exactly where to place three crests.

If you're stuck on Silent Hill f's mural puzzle, we'll explain how to solve it below.

How to solve the mural puzzle in Silent Hill f

The mural room in Silent Hill f can be found shortly after the boss battle with your mother and father. Before you can solve the puzzle, you'll need to navigate through the various rooms of this area and obtain three crests: Fox, White Bird, and Black Bird. Once you've obtained all three, return to the mural room to get started solving the puzzle.

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Silent Hill f is the newest entry in Konami's long-running survival horror franchise, tasking players with navigating the fictional town of Ebisugaoka in 1960s Japan as they attempt to uncover the mystery of a creeping fog that has produced bloodthirsty monsters around every corner. With this change in setting, Silent Hill f manages to be a great onboarding spot for series newcomers while maintaining plenty of familiar themes long-time players will recognize. But whether you're new to Silent Hill or a returning fan, you'll probably want to know how much playtime you can get out of this horrifying adventure. So, here's how long it takes to beat Silent Hill f.

How long is Silent Hill f - Campaign length and replayability

An average playthrough of Silent Hill f should take between 12-14 hours on Hard (normal) difficulty. This includes time spent solving puzzles and exploring at least some of the game's optional paths for additional healing items, upgrade materials, and weapons. However, those looking to advance through the campaign with less resistance can use the Story (easy) difficulty to reduce the combat and puzzle challenges, potentially allowing for a quicker completion.

Silent Hill f is a game designed to be played multiple times, though. While you can beat the game just once if you wish, additional playthroughs--which let you carry over your health, stamina, and sanity upgrades--unravel even more story content. Not only do subsequent runs provide fresh cutscenes and boss changes, but they also provide the opportunity to see up to 5 total endings, revealing more and more of the unsettling story surrounding main character Shimizu Hinako.

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Actor Steven Ogg played a major role in GTA 5, bringing the favorite character Trevor to life. He's never played GTA 5, however--or any video game for that matter--and he is not excited about GTA 6. In fact, he says he feels nothing at all about it.

Asked recently how excited he is for GTA 6, Ogg said, "I feel nothing inside. I'm not a gamer. I've never played a video game. I feel absolutely nothing [about GTA 6]."

Instead, Ogg said he prefers books. He encouraged people to read Crime and Punishment from Russian author Fyodor Dostoevsky.

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For the better part of a decade, French gaming developers Laurent Lechat and Boris Marmontel had their game Planet Centauri in early access on Steam. However, the game's 1.0 launch arrived last year with a resounding thud, and Valve is accepting the blame for not notifying the 100,000-plus players who had wishlisted it on Steam.

In a recent post on Reddit (via Polygon), Lechat shared excerpts from an email sent out by Valve that explained why Planet Centauri's launch failed to get much traction.

"We found a bug that impacted a very small number of game releases (less than 100 since 2015) where wishlist email notifications for the launch of a game were not sent," wrote a Valve spokesperson. "Unfortunately, your game Planet Centauri was among those included. We intend for this feature to work for every game and we're inviting you to a Daily Deal as a way to help make up for lost visibility from your launch day."

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Earlier this year, Team Ninja debuted the first look at a Nioh 3, the latest game in the action-RPG series. Players will assume control of a fictionalized version of Japan's first shogun, Tokugawa Takechiyo, as he rises to power by taking on supernatural threats. In a departure for the series, Tokugawa can switch back and forth between samurai and ninja fighting styles. Now, Team Ninja has explained how its Ninja Gaiden games inspired this shift in Nioh 3's gameplay.

"We wanted to create a new kind of action that would act as a major centerpiece, making players feel that the game has taken a step forward," said Nioh 3 general producer Fumihiko Yasuda during an interview with IGN. "Team Ninja also has the experience of creating the Ninja Gaiden series. In other words, we have just about as much experience and knowhow when it comes to creating ninja action as we do with Nioh's samurai action. Ninja are very popular overseas, and we thought that this would excite those players as well. Nioh's Japanese world and setting is also something we value, which made ninja seem like the best possible answer."

Yasuda noted that previous Nioh games have already referenced the Ninja Gaiden games in the DLC, but added that Team Ninja is looking "into creating the sort of action that fans of both series will enjoy."

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Silent Hill f has arrived, and while this 1960s, Japan-set game might look quite different from previous entries, it has the sort of difficult puzzles you would expect from a journey into Silent Hill. An early puzzle in the game, the Shrine Vault puzzle occurs the first time you enter the spirit realm.

This puzzle solution is for the "Hard" puzzle difficulty, which is considered the default puzzle difficulty.

Shrine Vault Puzzle

This puzzle requires you to find three symbols by spotting and flipping specific Ema located in three different spots. This occurs after receiving the ceremonial knife and following the Fox mask man into a new area, which is promptly locked with a combination lock. The map marks the three different locations, but you need to search for a specific Ema in each area. It's not clear which Ema is found in which spot, but each area only contains one, and once you acquire the symbol, you won't be able to interact with that area any longer.

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There's been a resurgence of interest in turn-based RPGs in recent times--and, it seems, not enough new big-name titles in the space to appease eager fans. Thankfully for players who're craving some of the finest JRPG combat out there, Square-Enix has a brand new installment in its popular Octopath Traveler series set for release this December on consoles and PC. Fear not, eager adventurers--we've got all the information we know about OT0 right here, including release specifics, trailers, and gameplay details so you'll be ready for your adventure.

When Will Octopath Traveler 0 be released?

Thankfully, you won't have to wait too long for a hearty dose of turn-based JRPG goodness. As was announced during the Nintendo Direct Partner Showcase, Octopath Traveler 0 will release on December 4, 2025--giving you plenty of time during the holiday break to dig deep into what's likely to be a lengthy adventure.

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The Silo Series Book Box Set (Paperback)

$22.18 (was $60)

Get deal at Amazon Get deal at Walmart

We're still waiting for a premiere date for Silo Season 3, but fans of the Apple TV+ dystopian science fiction series can bide the time by reading the source material in a stylish new format. A Deluxe Collector's Edition of Hugh Howey's best-selling book Shift was published earlier this week. Season 3 of Silo is based on Shift, so it's the perfect time to check out this stellar collection of novellas. Shift Deluxe Collector's Edition is up for grabs for $37 at Amazon or Walmart.

Shift is the second book in the Silo series, though it takes place before Wool (Book 1). Fans can get a matching Wool Deluxe Collector's Edition for only $20 (was $40) at Walmart. This deal was also available at Amazon, but it sold out earlier this week. Amazon and Walmart also have The Silo Series 3-Book Box Set for an all-time low of only $22, which is saying a lot because William Morrow published the paperback collection in 2020. And if you like ebooks, the Kindle edition of the box set is only $3 for a limited time.

The Silo Series Book Box Set (Paperback) $22.18 (was $60)

The Silo Series Box Set collects paperback editions of Wool, Shift, and Dust. It also comes with a separate paperback chapbook of Silo short stories. In addition to roughly 1,700 pages of awesome science fiction, you'll get to read some of Howey's great nonfiction essays. All four books are boxed in a slipcase.

The three mainline books in the series are also sold separately in paperback. Each book is discounted to around $12 right now.

• The Silo Series Box Set -- $22.18 ($60)
  • Wool: Silo Series 1 -- $12.39 ($20)
  • Wool: TV Tie-in Edition -- $11.33 ($20)
  • Shift: Silo Series 2 -- $11 ($20)
  • Dust: Silo Series 3 -- $12.43 ($20)

Get deal at Amazon Get deal at Walmart Shift Deluxe Collector's Edition: Silo Series 2 $37 (was $40)

Each Deluxe Collector's Edition has new cover art, sprayed edges, and illustrated endpapers. A full topographical map of the silos is printed in color on the inside of the dust jackets. Shift's sprayed edges are blue, while Wool has red edges. In addition to the original three novellas that make up Shift, this 608-page edition has an original Silo short story by the author.

The first two seasons remained faithful to Wool while also carving their own path with unique character arcs and plot beats. It's expected that Season 3 will also differ from Shift in some big ways while maintaining the general story arc from the book.

Shift and Wool are regularly referred to as novels, and they do read like novels, but sections of each book were originally released as novellas. Shift rewinds the clock roughly 200 years and chronicles the apocalypse as well as the creation of the eponymous Silos.

The stories are largely told from the perspective of congressman Donald Keane, who begins working on the Silo project in 2049. Throughout the three novellas, you learn more about E-Day and the global disasters that led to opening of Silo 1 in 2110. The final section in Shift leads into Wool.

Shift Deluxe Collector's Edition:

• First Shift - Legacy: A Novella
• Second Shift - Order: A Novella
• Third Shift - Pact: A Novella
• An original short story

See at Amazon See at Walmart Wool Deluxe Collector's Edition: Silo Series 1 $20 (was $40)

The Deluxe Collector's Edition of Wool has the same features as the new edition of Shift, just with red sprayed edges. Wool has received numerous paperback and hardcover editions since its debut in 2011, but this is easily the best-looking version. Fans should snag a copy for $20 at Walmart before the hardcover sells out like it did at Walmart.

This edition of Wool is 592 pages and includes four novellas and the short story titled Holston, which serves as Part 1 of the Silo series. Howey also wrote an original essay for this edition that has behind-the-scenes details about the Apple TV+ series.

Wool Deluxe Collector's Edition:

• Holston: A short story
• Proper Gauge: A Novella
• Casting Off: A Novella
• The Unraveling: A Novella
• The Stranded: A Novella

See at Walmart See at Amazon Hugh Howey - Silo Series: Deluxe Collector's EditionsSilo Series Deluxe Collector's Editions

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Just when you thought Fortnite already had too many battle royale modes, Epic Games goes and drops another one. The new mode, dubbed Delulu, is completely unlike any of the other battle royale variations because it does two things the others don't: It has proximity voice chat, and encourages teaming mid-game with other players not in your group. But it's also a mode where only one person comes out as the winner. Katniss and Peeta's trick with the berries will not work here.

Delulu has been a blast so far, and matches feel vaguely like Epic mashed up its normal BR with its Party Royale mode--it's a battle royale about socializing. You can use an emote specific to Delulu to join and exit other players' parties on the fly. And since teaming is allowed in this mode, nothing prevents you from collaborating with even more players after you hit the max number for a party.

Since the social aspect is so crucial to the purpose of this mode, you're required to have a mic, and have the in-game voice chat on and set to Everybody before you can even queue up for it. You can join a round with your friends, but everyone drops in alone, and you'll eventually have to put them down if you want to win.

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Remedy Entertainment has made some of the best games of the last several years, including Alan Wake 2 and Control, and thanks to a new Humble Bundle, has made it possible to snag the studio's entire oeuvre for a ridiculously low price. The Remedy 30th Anniversary Bundle includes up to nine of the studio's game for $27. A portion of the proceeds for each bundle go to charity. In this case, it's Save the Children, which works to improve the lives of children around the world and to help protect them when disasters strike. You can also increase your donation by choosing to pay more than the bundle price. This is an awesome deal, but you'll want to grab the bundle soon, as it's only available through October 10.

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While the full $27 bundle offers the best value, the Remedy 30th Anniversary Bundle offers a tiered pricing scale just like Humble's other bundle deals. The cheapest tier is just $5 and includes the arcade racer Death Rally, the gritty noir third-person shooters Max Payne and Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne, and Alan Wake: American Nightmare, which is a standalone expansion to the first Alan Wake game. This tier is great if you want to check out the studio's earliest works. Death Rally is an interesting one to look back on, since it differs so much from the action and survival horror games the studio is now known for. However, the real standout of this tier are Max Payne and Max Payne 2. Both helped define the third-person shooter genre of their time, and they offer a strange, surreal story that is absolutely worth a visit. The first will be quite clunky by modern standards, but Max Payne 2 holds up pretty well thanks to its more refined storytelling.

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Screamboat Steelbook Edition (4K Blu-ray)

$43 | Releases December 9

Preorder at Amazon

There are immutable truths about our world: rain falls, wind blows, and the second a beloved IP enters the public domain territory, you can bet that a slasher movie based on it will hit theaters in record time. We've seen it happen to Winnie the Pooh, and last year it happened to Steamboat Willie, the 1928 Disney character who served as the prototype for what would eventually become Mickey Mouse. Steamoat Willie entered the public domain on January 1, 2024, and then earlier this year was reimagined as a horror movie villain with the animated horror-comedy short, Screamboat, created by . The movie is getting a Blu-ray release on December 9, including a fancy steelbook edition 4K Blu-ray that's availabe to preorder for $43 at Amazon.

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Xbox Series S

Starts at $379 | Rising to $399 starting October 3

See 512GB model at Amazon See 1TB model at Amazon

Xbox Series X Digital Edition 1TB

$549 | Rising to $599 starting October 3

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Xbox Series X 1TB

$599 | Rising to $649 starting October 3

See at Amazon

Xbox Series X 2TB Galaxy Black Special Edition

$729 | Rising to $799 starting October 3

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If you were planning on getting an Xbox console for the holidays, you might want to act sooner rather than later, because Microsoft has just announced that it's once again raising the price of its consoles starting October 3.

Beginning October 3, the most affordable Xbox on the market, the 512GB Xbox Series S, will cost $400 in the US. The most expensive Xbox Series X model, which comes with a disc drive and two terabytes of storage, will run folks $800. Here are the rest of the price changes to the Xbox lineup:

• Xbox Series S 512GB -- $400 (was $380)
• Xbox Series S 1TB -- $450 (was $430)
• Xbox Series X Digital -- $600 (was $550)
• Xbox Series X -- $650 (was $500)
• Xbox Series X 2TB Galaxy Black Special Edition - $800 (was $730)

This is the second price increase that Microsoft has issued this year alone after it raised prices on the consoles earlier this May. In its announcement, Microsoft suggests that these price hikes are "due to changes in the macroeconomic environment." Prices outside of the US will remain as they are.

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Spider-Man fans can score an absurdly good deal on the Lego Miles Morales' Mask display model at Walmart. Launched in July for $70, the 487-piece Miles Morales building set is on sale for only $28.24. This deal is unlikely to remain in stock for long, so snag it while you can.

Lego Spider-Man Miles Morales' Mask (487 Pieces) $28.24 (was $70)

The 487-piece build is exclusive to Walmart and the Lego Store--though you'll pay $70 if you buy it directly from Lego right now.

The completed 3D model with display stand measures 7.5 inches. A Lego Marvel name placard connects to the front of the stand.

Despite low piece counts, Lego's mask and helmet builds are fairly complex and are recommended for adults and experienced builders.

See at Walmart See at Lego Store ($70) Lego Spider-Man Mask (487 Pieces) $70

The standard Spider-Man Mask Lego set launched last year exclusively at Target and the Lego Store. Based on Peter Parker's classic costume, the Spider-Man Mask is the same size as Miles Morales' Mask; it even has the same number of pieces.

See at Target See at Lego Store Lego Miles Morales' Mask + Iron Spider-Man Bust Bundle $92 (was $130)

Walmart also has an exclusive bundle with Miles Morales' Mask and the Iron Spider-Man Bust, which launched in August for $60. With Walmart's deal on Miles Morales' Mask, it's actually cheaper to buy each set separately.

In any case, Walmart is currently sold out of the Spider-Man bundle--though the retailer has restocked a bunch of its Bricktember Lego bundles over the past few weeks. We wouldn't be surprised to see this one back in stock soon.

Includes:

• Miles Morales' Mask (76329) - $70 (487 pieces)
• Iron Spider-Man Bust (76326) - $60 (379 pieces)

Get deal at Walmart

For some much smaller Lego Spider-Man fun, check out the new Spider-Verse minifigure collection. Based on Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, the collection features 12 characters from the multiverse. Most retailers are sold out of this collection, but Amazon just restocked the Spider-Verse minifigure 6-packs for $30.

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Subnautica 2 has been upstaged this summer by a bitter fight between publisher Krafton and the former leadership team at the game's studio, Unknown Worlds. Charlie Cleveland and Max McGuire, as well as CEO Ted Gill were forced out of the studio, and they subsequently filed a lawsuit against Krafton that contends the latter is attempting to avoid paying them a $250 million performance bonus. Now, Krafton has changed its legal argument about why the leadership team was dismissed.

According to PC Gamer, Krafton asserted that the founders intended to release Subnautica 2 in early access this year before the game was ready in order to secure their performance bonus. The founders' lawyers at Fortis Advisors asked for proof of this assertion during the trial's discovery phase, and Krafton didn't provide any. Krafton subsequently withdrew that part of its legal filing and no longer claims it as a reason for their dismissal. Fortis said this marks a "seismic shift in the case" and characterized it as "a little bit bewildering."

Krafton still maintains that the founders shirked their responsibilities to oversee Subnautica 2 to completion and accuses them of downloading files and keeping devices that had confidential info on them. Although that detail only came to light after the leadership team was removed, Krafton argues that it retroactively justifies their termination.

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