The Definitive Book of SNES RPGs Volume One

$48 | Releases October 15

Preorder at Bitmap Books

Bitmap Books has announced the next entry in its library, The Definitive Book of SNES RPGs. This is a deluxe tome designed to be a visual guide to an iconic era of video game history, and if that piques your interest, you can preorder it for $40 ahead of its shipping date later this month.

The Definitive Book of SNES RPGs Volume One $48 | Releases October 15

The first volume in this new series will cover games titled to A-K, and this 550-page book is written by game critic and researcher Moses Norton. The hardcover edition will focus on games like The 7th Saga, Eye of the Beholder, Breath of Fire, Chrono Trigger, EarthBound, EVO, Final Fantasy 2, and many more, and it features detailed writing, developer quotes, and genre history.

Additionally, there's restored art and "lost knowledge", and Bitmap Books says it's "an uncompromising and exhaustive study of the artistry, ideology, and legacy of SNES RPGs" using a methodology that doesn't rely on picking favorites. The cover features striking art, provided by professional artist Stephen "Stumpyfongo" Sitton.

Preorder at Bitmap Books A Guide to Japanese Role-Playing Games $45

A great book to pair this with is A Guide to Japanese Role-Playing Games. A massive collection of reviews and essays on over 600 JRPGs, A Guide to Japanese Role-Playing Games explores the expansive history of this genre, from its early days on 8-bit microcomputers to modern entries on PC and console. It covers a variety of titles like Fire Emblem and Etrian Odyssey, and it's another high-quality print from Bitmap Books.

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Other noteworthy books from the publisher include recent entries like From Ants to Zombies: Six Decades of Video Game Horror for a deep-dive into digital terror and The Art of the Box for a visual tour of how retro games grabbed your attention with stunning paintings and illustrations.

• A Guide to Japanese Role-Playing Games -- $45
• The Art of the Box -- $38 ($45)
• Game Boy: The Box Art Collection -- $43.50
• SNES/Super Famicom: A Visual Compendium -- $66.30
• I'm Too Young To Die: The Ultimate Guide to First-Person Shooters 1992–2002 -- $42.49
• The Art of Point-and-Click Adventure Games -- $43.50
• From Ants to Zombies: Six Decades of Video Game Horror -- $36.11 ($42.49)
• PC Engine: The Box Art Collection -- $40
• NEOGEO: A Visual History -- $66.24
• NES/Famicom: A Visual Compendium -- $63
• The SNES Pixel Book -- $73.57
• The Secret History of Mac Gaming: Expanded Edition -- $55.82
• The CRPG Book - Expanded Edition -- $61.24
• Run 'n' Gun: A Guide to On-Foot Shooters -- $38.86
• 50 World-Changing Indie Games -- $58
• Commodore Amiga: A Visual Compendium -- $49.31
• Artcade: The Book Of Classic Arcade Game Art -- $65
• Metal Slug: The Ultimate History -- $102.71
• Sinclair ZX Spectrum A Visual Compendium -- $50.75
• The Games That Weren't -- $68.41
• Super Famicom: The Box Art Collection -- $50.75

Another video game history book you can add to your collection is PlayStation: The First 30 Years. Scheduled to ship out in 2026, the book is now available to preorder and is priced at $125.

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In a shocking development, Electronic Arts announced on September 29 that it will go private as part of a $55 billion leveraged buyout. Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, Jared Kushner's Affinity Partners, and private equity company Silver Lake are taking 100% ownership of the company behind franchises like Battlefield, Mass Effect, Madden, and many others.

Industries tend to consolidate over time as they mature, and EA going private is just the latest example of such a move in the video game space. Prior to this, Microsoft bought Activision Blizzard, Take-Two acquired Zynga, Sony purchased Bungie, and the list goes on from there.

There are a number of particulars pertaining to EA's sale that make it unique, however, and the setup has led to numerous questions from industry-observers about what happens next. No one knows the answers for certain, but here are some of the key things to know and unanswered questions about the EA deal to a private consortium.

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Super Mario Galaxy and Super Mario Galaxy 2 finally made their way to the Switch, and they've never looked better. Before now, you could only play them on the old Wii or through the limited-time Super Mario 3D All-Stars collection on Switch--which didn't even include Galaxy 2. Now, both games are available on the regular Switch and Switch 2.

There are a lot of things to appreciate with the new remasters, and Digital Foundry took a deep dive into the biggest differences and the mild downgrades. The biggest difference is that the original Switch runs the games at up to 1080p, while the Switch 2 boosts the visuals all the way to 4K resolution, making everything look much sharper and cleaner, especially on modern TVs. You can check out the full breakdown below.

Basically, most of the menus, cutscenes, and controls are the same as the 2020 3D All-Stars version, including things like touchscreen and motion controls. The pre-rendered cutscenes still run at 1080p, even on Switch 2, and haven't been upgraded to 4K. That's a bit of a letdown, especially since those scenes also show some compression issues and color problems. Still, the improved resolution and sharper gameplay visuals on Switch 2 do a lot to make up for it. Shadows now show from farther away, and character models look better at a distance, too.

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Stack Xbox Game Pass Ultimate Prepaid Codes

1 month for $20 / 3 months for $60

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Microsoft has announced a price hike for Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, raising the price by 50% from $20 to $30 per month. You do not have to pay that much everywhere, however. GameStop, for example, has announced that it will not raise the price of Game Pass Ultimate for in-store and online shoppers, at least not yet.

The retailer continues to sell one-month Game Pass Ultimate memberships for $20 or three-month memberships for $60. This appears to be a promotion, so it's not likely to last forever, meaning you may want to snap it up now before it's too late. The price comes down to $19 for one month or $57 for a three-month subscription if you're a GameStop Pro member ($25/year).

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Microsoft is raising the price of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass, and the company has now attempted to defend the hikes.

Speaking to The Verge, Microsoft director of gaming and platform communications Dustin Blackwell said, "We understand price increases are never fun for anybody, but we're trying to reinforce by adding more value to these plans as well."

He added: "It's something we don't take lightly, and we're listening to the feedback of players and the community to try to provide them with more of what they’re asking for."

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Developer Sucker Punch Productions' samurai fantasy sequel, Ghost of Yotei, is finally out on PlayStation 5, and it's already received favorable reviews from critics. As such, it's safe to think that we could see yet another entry in the Ghost franchise in the future; however, the team isn't quite sure about that, as Sucker Punch Productions said in a new interview that timing is key.

Speaking to VGC on October 2, co-founder Brian Fleming explained that the next Ghost game or a return to Sly Cooper isn't out of the question, but because the team only gets to develop a new game "about every five years," that idea has to be "the best idea" possible.

"The truth is that whatever we do next, whether it's continuing Ghost or going back to Sly, the decision is really more limited by, again, our cherishing of focus and time to iterate, which means that we really can only do one thing at a time," Fleming said. "If we were good at juggling four projects, yeah, we’d have a remaster, and let’s go do one of those, and one of those, and do some fan request, that would be really popular. But we only get to do one thing. So it kind of has to be your best idea, right? And that's really clarifying. It's not like there aren't 15 good ideas. But you only get to do one. And by the way, you only get to do one about every five years. So that choice is really important. I mean, that is choosing your college and your major every five years … that's a really big decision, so you better think carefully about it."

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When it comes to building a winning team in EA Sports FC 26, the right formation is just as important as the players you pick. A good formation can unlock your team’s true potential, while the wrong one can leave you exposed at every turn. But whether you’re someone who favors the gegenpress over tiki-taka, there’s a formation for you.

Table of Contents [hide]

• 4-1-2-1-2 Narrow

This guide will explain the best FC 26 formations, breaking down their strengths and weaknesses, while explaining what type of players you’ll need to make it work. From tried and tested setups like 4-2-3-1 Wide to more experimental systems like 3-5-2, we’ll help you find the perfect shape to dominate in your next Division Rivals or Career Mode game.

4-1-2-1-2 Narrow

The 4-1-2-1-2 Narrow meta is back, and we couldn’t be more delighted. This diamond formation wasn’t really favoured in the FC 25 meta, but it’s having a bit of a resurgence.

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Starbreeze has canceled its upcoming Dungeons & Dragons game, which was in the works under the working title Project Baxter. The developer said its board of directors and management opted to cancel the project after a "strategic review" found that resources would be better deployed on its successful Payday franchise instead.

Starbreeze is taking an impairment charge of about SEK 255 million ($27.2 million) as a result of Project Baxter's cancellation.

"This was a difficult but necessary decision," Starbreeze CEO Adolf Kristjansson said. "Our strategy is clear: Payday is one of the most iconic IPs in gaming, with unmatched reach and potential. By focusing our investment and talent here, we can accelerate delivery, engage players with more content, and reinforce Starbreeze's position as the clear leader in the heisting genre. This is about sharpening our focus to create the strongest long-term value for our players, our people, and our shareholders."

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Like most games on the Roblox platform, the developers of Grow A Garden give away free stuff to celebrate big updates in the form of codes. Valid for only a limited time, these can give you access to items that aren’t available anywhere else, or a handful of rare items that are tough to get otherwise.

While there haven’t been all that many of them in the Roblox game’s lifespan so far, the ones that have been made available have mostly been cosmetic items, and in some rare cases, eggs for Grow A Garden pets. Sadly, none of these can help summon rare weather conditions, as it’s only those with admin permissions who can use Grow A Garden console commands, but there are plenty of freebies available. Here are all the currently known Grow A Garden codes, along with instructions on how to redeem them.

Table of Contents [hide]

• All active Grow A Garden codes

This Torii Gate is one of the many exclusive items that was made available via Grow A Garden codes.All active Grow A Garden codes

All of these Grow A Garden codes have been checked and verified since the last update. You can only redeem them once, and the vast majority of them will either appear in your backpack or in the separate cosmetic items section.

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Microsoft opened preorders for the ROG Xbox Ally X and ROG Xbox Ally on September 25, and they quickly sold out at some retailers. The high-end handheld is still two weeks away from launch, but at least one fan in Europe got it early thanks to a mistake by Amazon France.

The fan in question goes by TechnicalFun77 on Reddit (via Xbox Era), and the user largely had positive things to say about it before deleting their account for some unexplained reason.

"It's a good console," wrote TechnicalFun77. "Very good ergonomics, controlled weight, pretty nice handheld, armory crate in the full screen experience is very responsive, no latency problem when pressing buttons, quite fluid in the menus in general, and superb battery life at 17-25w. And my god, the console is quiet and well-cooled even at high TDP. One of the main strengths is the sound of the device. It [feels] like the sounds are going all around my head, I almost don't need headphones."

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Allow us to introduce you to the most-watched, sometimes controversial but always talked-about survival gameshow that is always looking for show-offs: KING OF MEAT! Get ready for a joyfully unhinged world filled with skeletons, trolls, and of course, corporate commercialism. Are you a Contender ready to destroy anything that steps into the Dungeon? Or are you a Creator, crafting the most devious challenges with your own dungeons?

Set 300 years after the critically acclaimed Ghost of Tsushima, Ghost of Yōtei is a standalone experience set in 1600s rural Japan. The story follows a haunted, lone mercenary named Atsu. Thirsty for revenge, she travels through the beautiful, rugged landscapes of northern Japan, hunting those who killed her family many years earlier. Sixteen years after her family’s death, Atsu's quest across Ezo brings her to unexplored lands in search of a gang of six outlaws, but she finds much more than vengeance. Throughout her journey, Atsu will discover unlikely allies, and greater bonds than she could have imagined.

Tokyo, Japan - An agent of a secret organization encounters an unknown creature shortly before a city-leveling explosion. They then reawaken eight years in the past... Take on a mission to uncover the mystery of the world’s collapse, where chance encounters with unique characters will shape your journey across time and parallel worlds - and change fate itself. Digimon Story Time Stranger is an RPG with monster-taming elements that explores the deep bond between humans and Digimon in an epic story that unravels the mystery of the world’s collapse. Embark on an adventure that spans across the human world and Digital World, collecting and raising a diverse array of Digimon to fight in turn-based battles.

A non-human, living alone in the night of London. One evening, he meets a girl seeking help in the fog. She has lost her memories and knows not why she is there. In saving her from the darkness, the two become fast friends. The non-human, wishing to help his very first friend recover her memories, makes for two beings he has heard about by way of rumors among the fae: the Thorn Mage Elias, and Chise.