The era of "simulator" games continues, as Skyhook Games has announced Lawn Mowing Simulator 2--and there is a key change to be aware of right away.

Self-publishing

After Skyhook worked with Curve Games on the successful original game, Skyhook and Curve have parted ways for the sequel. Skyhook will self-publish Lawn Mowing Simulator 2, which means the developer itself takes all the risk--"which is scary"--but also gets "complete ownership of the project and control over the direction we take."

"We're sure that many of you will have a sense that the video games industry is in a tough spot right now, and you're not wrong. There are a lot of games being cancelled and jobs being lost--and in some ways that makes our decision to self-publish even more terrifying," the developer said.

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Tony Hawk's Underground just got a (very short) remake, but not in the way that you were thinking. On social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok, skateboarding legend Tony Hawk posted the intro clip for the game, but this time, he stood in for the player-created main character as he interacted with the greatest villain in video games, Eric Sparrow.

So what was the occasion? According to Hawk in the text for the video, this was his way of spreading a little joy and celebrating National Video Games Day. The video also had a "not a THUG promo" in its title, dashing any hopes for a remaster.

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While the video is a fun reminder of THUG, don't expect it to be a teaser for an eventual remake of the cult-classic skateboarding game from 2003. Hawk himself has said in the past that he'd love to see it remastered, but ultimately, it's not up to him to make that call.

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Microsoft is testing a new way to access Task View on Windows 11 with an Xbox controller. By long pressing the Xbox button on a PC, Task View will appear, allowing users to switch between say a game and Discord, for example.

This Xbox controller change is only available in preview builds on Windows 11, according to Microsoft. The tweak won't change other functionality with the Xbox button, such as a short press for the Game Bar and holding it to turn off the controller.

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Battlefield Studios has reiterated that the plan for Battlefield 6's cosmetics is to remain "gritty" and "grounded" as opposed to embracing more wacky and weird skins that games like Call of Duty and Fortnite are known for.

Technical director Christian Buhl and senior console combat designer Matthew Nickerson recently elaborated on these points in an interview with IGN. Asked to respond to Activision's recent announcement about how Black Ops 6's weird skins won't move to Black Ops 7, Buhl said, "I think we're really happy with where we are. We want to be a gritty, realistic shooter."

Buhl went on to say any game is free to "be whatever they want to be," saying Fortnite is a "pretty good" game with its "goofy" skins.

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GTA 6 is expected to have an enormous launch in May 2026, and a newly spotted job ad at developer Rockstar Games says it could be "the largest game launch in history."

The job ad for a lead software engineer of data engineering mentions the position falls under the "online services" division at Rockstar Games in the office in New York City. The successful candidate will help Rockstar's team manage what is expected to be, in its own words, a record-breaking launch.

"With the continued growth of Grand Theft Auto Online and the upcoming release of Grand Theft Auto 6, the successful candidate will lead both the evolution and operation of the data platform supporting what will be the largest game launch in history, ensuring it scales to deliver an exceptional experience for millions of players worldwide," the job ad states (via PC Gamer).

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The Long Walk Limited Edition Steelbook (4K Blu-ray)

$35 | Amazon Exclusive

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Stephen King - The Long Walk - First Hardcover Edition

$29 | Releases October 7

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Amazon has opened preorders for an exclusive 4K Blu-ray edition of The Long Walk. Priced at $35, The Long Walk Limited Edition Steelbook is currently the No. 1 best-selling movie on Amazon. Considering the low price, the film's popularity, and the cool interactive artwork featuring Mark Hamill, Stephen King fans may want to secure their preorder soon. It wouldn't be surprising if The Long Walk's Steelbook Edition sold out. It's also possible the price will jump, as the 4K Steelbook is currently five bucks cheaper than the 1080p Blu-ray edition.

The dystopian thriller is one of the highest-rated Stephen King movie adaptations of all time from a critical perspective. At the time of writing, The Long Walk holds a 90% on Rotten Tomatoes. Directed by Francis Lawrence and written by JT Mollner, The Long Walk's ensemble cast includes Cooper Hoffman, David Jonsson, Judy Greer, and Mark Hamill, among others.

The Long Walk Limited Edition Steelbook | Amazon Exclusive

The Long Walk is the third King adaptation to hit theaters in 2025, and the first of the three with a Steelbook Edition. Speaking of firsts, you can also preorder the first standalone hardcover edition of the 1979 novel at Amazon. Take a closer look at physical editions of the new adaptation and the classic King novel below.

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Borderlands 4 hasn't exactly been off to a flying start. While it's already developed a healthy playerbase, Steam reviews have not been so hot, primarily due to the game's performance issues. But it's not just PC players that are having trouble, as many players on console have been clamouring for a field-of-view slider option. And based on a recent tweet, it looks like such an option might be on the way.

Gearbox CEO Randy Pitchford shared a poll over the weekend on his personal X account asking console players about including a FOV setting. He noted that there are "some dreams" he has "where an FOV setting might affect fairness," but also said he couldn't talk about that. It seems like that didn't matter to most folks though, as the top rated result in the poll was "FOV slider or GTFO!" Following that, a post from the official Borderlands X account was shared essentially confirming that the devs will be looking into adding that in as an option.

"Vault Hunters! We have heard your feedback on FOV (Field of View) sliders on console," reads the post. "The team is currently exploring how to bring these sliders to both Xbox Series X|S and PlayStation 5 versions. We will continue to read your feedback & prioritize game updates with your experience in mind. Thanks all!"

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Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 arrives this November, and it includes another year of Treyarch's Zombies mode. Black Ops 7 adds the addition of a "Wonder Vehicle" for Zombies, and some fans have already spotted a real-life version of this new vehicle that's being created.

As previously reported by CharlieIntel, fans with a keen eye have spotted the Black Ops 7 Wonder Vehicle in the background of Mizkif's IRL stream. The stream took place at West Coast Customs, which is the California-based auto shop famous for customizing cars for celebrities and major brands.

An IRL version of the Black Ops 7 Wonder Vehicle was spotted in background of Mizkif IRL stream that took place at West Coast Customs pic.twitter.com/UE1cqhCScZ

— CharlieIntel (@charlieINTEL) September 12, 2025

As seen in the image above, the vehicle at West Coast Customs features the same design as the front end of the Wonder Vehicle we were shown during an early Black Ops 7 preview at Treyarch's studio. It has three demonic mouths coming out of the front grill, which look very similar to the mouths of the Abomination enemy-type in Zombies.

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Borderlands 4 places a bigger emphasis on buildcrafting the perfect Vault Hunter, and as many players have discovered, there's plenty of potential to create some truly broken builds in the game. This has led to some fears about an imminent nerf coming--especially to Vex, the witchy Siren who is capable of dishing out some truly ludicrous damage--but Gearbox says it won't "knee-jerk react" to what it sees from the Borderlands fandom, unless it poses a risk to the stability of the game.

"Chill guys, we're not going to knee-jerk react to anything," Borderlands 4 creative director Graame Timmins wrote on X/Twitter, in response to a video showing off how quickly Vex can melt a boss down to scrap metal with the right gear and skills equipped. "That said, this looks like a bug we fixed with Harlow and Rafa prior to launch that could recursively cause damage it and actually crashed the game and/or froze the UI. Going to investigate, could be legit stability problem."

With action-RPGs, it's not uncommon for players to discover character builds that do a little too much damage than initially intended. For example, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 players leveraged the power of the Stendhal build to wipe the floor with enemies until developer Sandfall Interactive toned down the damage, and Bungie has nerfed numerous Guardian builds over the years, much to the annoyance of the game's fanbase. Borderlands has often been an exception to that school of thought, as players have discovered killer combos between weapons, gear, and skills that have helped them overcome tough fights. These have rarely been patched, as additional difficulty modes have helped keep players on their toes instead.

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Last night's Primetime Emmy Awards show was a celebration of the best that TV had to offer, and while numerous shows were recognized for their excellence, The Last of Us wasn't one of them. The second season of the HBO Max series was nominated for several awards--Best Drama Series, Best Actor in a drama series, and Best Actress in a drama series--and while it did win the award for Outstanding Sound Editing for a one-hour comedy or drama series at the non-televised Creative Arts Emmys last week, it was overshadowed during the Primetime awards ceremony.

The Last of Us was the first live-action video game adaptation to be nominated for several Primetime Emmy Awards, winning eight Emmys out of its 24 nominations, including Outstanding Guest Actor for Nick Offerman. This year, The Last of Us walked away empty-handed, as The Studio scooped four awards, The Pitt won three Emmys, and two months after its cancellation, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert won best talk series. The Penguin's Cristin Milloti won best actress in a limited or anthology series or movie, and Dan Gilroy took home the Emmy for best writing in a drama series for his work on Star Wars: Andor.

The second season of The Last of Us wasn't nominated for any writing or directing episodes, but Naughty Dog co-president Neil Druckmann still praised the cast and crew of the series after the nominations were first revealed. The confirmed third season of The Last of Us is also in development, and it'll focus on Abby when it eventually arrives. In case you missed it, you can catch up on all the winners from last night in the list below:

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Mega Man fans haven't seen Capcom's iconic hero in his own game since since Mega Man 11 in 2018, but the franchise hasn't been forgotten. 2026 will mark the 20th anniversary of the Mega Man Star Force games, and Capcom is celebrating by bringing all seven titles together in the Mega Man Star Force Legacy Collection.

In 2006, Mega Man Star Force was the follow-up to the Mega Man Battle Network games. Star Force introduced players to a young boy named Geo Stelar who became a new Mega Man after merging with an alien, Omega-Xis, two hundred years after the final Battle Network game. Their adventures unfolded in seven action-RPG games before concluding in Mega Man Star Force 3: Red Joker in 2008.

The seven Star Force games in the Legacy Collection are listed below:

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Battlefield 6 has largely been well-received during its beta test, but some players have been very adamant that the game should avoid the "Fortnitification" that the Call of Duty franchise has embraced. Battlefield Studios head Vince Zampella has previously said that Battlefield 6 will "stay true to Battlefield." However, a leaked Battlefield 6 skin has some players eager to send EA a message that they won't welcome similar outfits in the game.

Even if you don't think this looks too flashy or over the top, the community needs to push back against skins like these. EA with push cosmetics as far as we let them and we shouldn't wait 'til they try adding Santa before they are deterred by community backlash.
byu/SpiritualBacon inBattlefield

The lime green on black look isn't nearly as cartoonish as the Beavis and Butt-Head or American Dad skins in Call of Duty: Black Ops 6. But assuming it's real, it does seem to veer away from the realistic military skins that some Battlefield fans prefer. The poster, SpirtualBacon, suggested that fans should voice their opinions about that now before EA doubles down on something even more outlandish.

This is a concern that's come up among Battlefield players before, but any movement to keep the game crossover free may not get much traction because selling CoD skins has proven to be very lucrative for Activision. EA has never been the kind of company to leave potential revenue on the table, although there aren't currently any announced plans for Battlefield 6 crossovers or collaborations.

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It's been over two years since The Witcher Season 3 dropped on Netflix, which also marked Henry Cavill's departure from the series. Now, Netflix has dropped a teaser for The Witcher Season 4, including a first look at Liam Hemsworth as Geralt of Rivia, the role previously portrayed by Cavill. Netflix also set the show's return date for October 30.

The teaser doesn't give us a good look at Geralt's companions, but it does depict his battle with a Wraith. It's hard to kill a creature that's largely intangible, but Geralt does have a way with dispatching monsters.

Story details about the new season have yet to be disclosed, but we do know that Geralt, Yennefer (Anya Chalotra), and Ciri (Freya Allan) have been separated from each other. For now, it appears that all three of them are on solo journeys. But they'll almost certainly find their way back together at some point in the season.

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Mario Tennis Fever for Nintendo Switch 2

$70 | Releases February 12, 2026

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Mario Tennis Fever is available to preorder for $70 at multiple major retailers ahead of its release next year on February 12, 2026. The latest Mario sports game is the first for Nintendo Switch 2 and will be exclusive to the new hardware. And like most Nintendo-published titles for Switch 2, Mario Tennis Fever retails for $70.

Mario Tennis Fever was unveiled on September 12 during the Super Mario 40th Anniversary section of the latest Nintendo Direct. The livestream also revealed Super Mario Galaxy + Super Mario Galaxy 2, which releases much sooner (October 2) and is available for Switch 2 and original Switch.

Mario Tennis Fever for Nintendo Switch 2 $70 | Releases February 12, 2026

Mario Tennis Fever's physical edition is up for preorder at Amazon, Walmart, Target, Best Buy, and GameStop. No preorder bonuses have been revealed, but retailers often have exclusive bonuses for Nintendo games. We'll update this story if that happens with Mario Tennis Fever.

The full game is stored on the Switch 2 game card. Nintendo estimates a 10GB download for the digital edition of Mario Tennis Fever, which is available to preorder on the eShop for the same price.

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Technically, Mario Tennis Fever is the second Mario sports game to release exclusively on Switch 2. Nintendo recently added Super Mario Strikers to the GameCube catalog for Switch Online + Expansion Pack members. But Mario Tennis Fever is the first all-new Mario sports game for Switch 2.

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Rosalina's Storybook (Hardcover)

$25 | Releases November 25

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Super Mario Galaxy fans can now preorder a physical edition of Rosalina's Storybook. Revealed during the September Nintendo Direct alongside a Super Mario Galaxy game collection, Rosalina's Storybook adapts the in-game book into a 112-page hardcover volume. Rosalina's Storybook will be published by Dark Horse Books on November 25, just in time for the holidays. Preorders are available now for $25 at Amazon.

Rosalina's Storybook (Hardcover) $25 | Releases November 25

The full-color picture book details Rosalina's journey to outer space, where she became the protector and leader of the Lumas. All nine chapters from the original in-game book are included with full-page illustrations. The Super Mario Galaxy + Super Mario Galaxy 2 collection for Switch and Switch 2 has a new chapter, but you won't find those pages in this book.

With Amazon's preorder price guarantee, you won't be charged until your order ships and will automatically get any discounts offered before then.

Check out two of the pages from the upcoming physical edition of Rosalina's Storybook below.

Preorder at Amazon Rosalina's Storybook (Nintendo/Dark Horse)

Super Mario Galaxy + Super Mario Galaxy 2 launches October 2 in physical and digital format for Nintendo Switch and Switch 2. The physical edition is for original Switch consoles, but you can upgrade to the Switch 2 version for free. On Switch 2, the collection will run in 4K resolution. Both games support traditional button/stick controls and motion controls. You can preorder the collection for $70 at Amazon, Walmart, and other major retailers. Check out our Super Mario Galaxy + Super Mario Galaxy 2 preorder guide for more details.

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Final Fantasy 7 Remake Intergrade for Nintendo Switch 2

$40 | Releases January 22, 2026

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Final Fantasy 7 Remake Intergrade is up for preorder for Nintendo Switch 2 at Amazon and Best Buy. In somewhat of a surprise, the upcoming port retails for only $40. FF7 Remake Intergrade launches January 22, 2026, on Nintendo Switch 2 as well as Xbox Series X|S. Square Enix is only releasing a physical version for Switch 2. It comes with a bunch of in-game bonuses and a Magic: The Gathering Final Fantasy Play Booster Pack.

Final Fantasy 7 Remake Intergrade - Switch 2 Edition Preorder BonusesFinal Fantasy 7 Remake Intergrade for Nintendo Switch 2

The physical and digital editions of FF7 Remake Intergrade for Switch 2 include the Intermission DLC featuring Yuffie and the following pieces of in-game content:

• Weapon: Cacstar
• Armor:
  • Midgar Bangle
  • Shinra Bangle
  • Corneo Armlet
• Accessories:
  • Superstar Belt
  • Mako Crystal
  • Seraphic Earrings
• Summoning Materia:
  • Carbuncle
  • Chocobo Chick
  • Cactuar

Final Fantasy 7 Remake Intergrade for Nintendo Switch 2 $40 | Releases January 22, 2026

As mentioned, the physical edition for Switch 2 also comes with a Magic: The Gathering Play Booster containing 14 cards from the exceedingly popular Final Fantasy crossover set. The physical edition also has reversible cover art: One side features Cloud and Sephiroth, while the other shows Cloud looking at the Shinra building.

Like other Square Enix games for Switch 2, Final Fantasy 7 Remake Intergrade is a Game-Key Card, so you will need to download the file from the eShop after inserting the card. In this case, though, Square likely didn't have a choice. The Switch 2 uses 64GB game cards, and FF7 Remake Intergrade is currently listed at 87.9GB--the largest Switch 2 game yet.

If you don't already own a microSD Express Card, you may want to buy one ahead of time, because many players won't have enough space on the Switch 2's 256GB SSD to download the game. We've highlighted two microSD Express Card options below.

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The officially licensed Samsung 256GB microSD Express Card is back in stock at Amazon for $59. To triple your storage space, check out the SanDisk Gameplay 512GB microSD Express Card for $78 at Walmart. It's substantially cheaper than most 512GB microSD Express Cards.

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Hades II Physical Edition for Nintendo Switch 1/2

$50 | Releases November 20

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Hades 2 exits early access September 25, Supergiant Games announced during the hour-long Nintendo Direct on September 12. And just like with its popular predecessor, Hades II will only be available on Nintendo consoles and PC at launch. The timed console exclusive will release on both Switch and Switch 2 with a $30 price tag. A physical edition of Hades II is slated to launch November 20 and is available to preorder now for $50. Check out the Hades 2 preorder details you need to know below.

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Scott Pilgrim vs The World: The Game celebrated its 15-year anniversary on August 10, 2025. Below, we speak with the developers of the original game about how it came to be and its enduring legacy.

Trust an elder millennial on this one: The longer you live, the more you start to see the media of your youth reflected in a weird, recursive funhouse mirror. The old Grandpa Simpson "It'll happen to you!" meme is not just a perfect reaction to have here, but a perfect example. It's a famous meme, born from a show that is now mostly known by younger generations as an infinite meme factory, from a scene that was directed at Gen-Xers with nostalgia for the 1970s, by a character lamenting how he was cool in the '50s, and nostalgia for the '40s being the actual intended joke.

Scott Pilgrim now occupies a similarly strange place in pop culture. Back in the mid-2000s, the original graphic novels were to old-school video games, anime, and Canadian indie bands what Kevin Smith's worship of Star Wars and Marvel comics were to Gen X. Plenty of readers could latch onto the story of a nerdy slacker--the titular Scott--dating Ramona Flowers, a much cooler person with a checkered past, and Scott having to reckon with said checkered past by fighting her seven evil exes. The emotional honesty injected into the story by its creator, Bryan Lee O'Malley made it appeal to the folks who may never have picked up a controller, the folks who simply saw an extremely well-drawn, well-written fantastical slice-of-life indie book. Scott still had to deal with getting a job, paying his rent, and generally having to become an adult. He just happened to do so while speaking to nerds in a whole other secret language of nostalgic metaphors.

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By the end of this weekend, Borderlands 4 is probably going to be one of the biggest launches of 2025. It hasn't gone off without a hitch, however. The game has been hit hard by negative reviews on Steam over its PC optimization. Now, Borderlands 4 has been accused of including spyware by some vocal fans online. Those rumors have been so pervasive that Borderlands 4 publisher Take-Two Interactive has already shared a statement denying them.

The issue at hand involves the kernel-level anti-cheat in Borderlands 4, which some have accused of being modified to collect data about players. Borderlands 4's updated terms of service was also presented as evidence that the game was being used to spy on players, hence the response from Take-Two.

"Take-Two does not use spyware in its games," wrote a company spokesperson on Steam. "Take-Two's Privacy Policy applies to all labels, studios, games, and services across all media and platform types such as console, PC, mobile app, and website. The Privacy Policy identifies the data activities that may be collected, but this does not mean that every example is collected in each game or service."

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The overwhelming success of Balatro was one of the biggest stories of 2024 and a life-changing event for solo dev LocalThunk. However, LocalThunk is still only one man and he's revealed that his previously promised Balatro 1.1 update will not be arriving this year.

LocalThunk explained the reasons for the delay in a lengthy message on his official site, but it ultimately boils down to the name of his post: "I'm Slow." He apologized to players for the delay before expressing his desire to avoid repeating the crunch mode of 12-hour days he put in when Balatro was approaching launch and stated that he prefers to treat the work as a hobby rather than a job.

"I still love drawing my silly jokers," wrote LocalThunk. "I carry around a notebook that is now teeming with ideas to implement or test in the game, and thankfully I still consider this my hobby, but the prospect of rushing the work and going back into crunch mode to get it out this year just felt terrible. I am working slowly, but I like it that way. I love getting sucked into rabbit holes and I don't like trying to force things creatively."

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