Fortnite's Simpsons season, which took over Battle Royale last week with a new Springfield-themed island map, got a welcome injection of new cartoonish weapons you can wield against your enemies in this week's update. The loot pool now includes Bart's Slingshot, which leaves a poison cloud where it lands, Moe's 5 Gun, which is five guns in one, and the Deodorant Applicator, which is a mid-range laser gun.

When Fortnite's Simpsons season began, it had a very noticeable lack of Simpsons-themed weapons. The loot pool had tons of Simpsons healing items, like Krusty Burgers and Super Squishees, but the weapons were all old Fortnite guns aside from the Mr. Blasty revolver.

But that changed in a big way in Week 2. Now there are four Simpsons weapons instead of one, including a rare combo gun with Moe's 5 Gun. That one is more or less a new version of the Pump and Dump, which was a shotgun and SMG that you could dual-wield during Chapter 6 Season 2. The Slingshot and Deodorant Applicator, meanwhile, both have unlimited ammo, but they have a durability stat that wears down as you use them.

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Though most quests in Arc Raiders send you off to collect a quest-specific item, Celeste has decided to complicate your journey just a bit. In Tribute to Toledo, you'll be asked to track down a Power Rod, an Epic-tier item that is quite hard to come by while shooting and looting on your topside adventures. Don't worry, though, as we'll fill you in on some good ways to get your hands on a hard-to-find Power Rod.

Table of Contents [hide]

• Where to get a Power Rod in Arc Raiders
  • How to get Power Rods from the Spaceport Rocket Assembly
  Where to get a Power Rod in Arc Raiders

  There are a few ways to get Power Rods in Arc Raiders, ranging from looting to crafting, so let's take a look at each option.

  How to get Power Rods from the Spaceport Rocket Assembly

  Since Power Rods fall under the "Exodus" loot type, your best chance of looting one of these ultra-rare items is from the Rocket Assembly on the Spaceport map.

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If Lance has given you the Life of a Pharmacist quest in Arc Raiders, you've come to the right place. This quest requires you to head to the Arbusto Farmacia in Buried City and document some things about a pharmacist. Below, we'll fill you in on each location of the quest objectives and everything else you need to know about surviving this mission topside.

You won't need to extract to complete Life of a Pharmacist, so toss on a free loadout if you want to play things safely. If you're feeling cocky, though, go ahead and bring in the big guns. There's some decent loot in the Arbusto Farmacia, too, so there's no harm in protecting yourself so you can take it all for yourself.

Here's how to complete Life of a Pharmacist in Arc Raiders.

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Most Arc Raiders quests send you topside to investigate, gather resources, or obtain some type of intel. This trend continues with Reduced to Rubble, which begins with asking you to do the simplest thing you've done in the game so far: take a photo. Hey, sounds easy enough, right? Let's find out.

Luckily, you won't need to extract to complete Reduced to Rubble, so you should bring in a free loadout if you're not familiar with the Blue Gate map or feel a bit nervous about losing any of your good loot. With the above-average amount of ARC roaming about on this map, things can go bad in the blink of an eye, so it's better to be safe than sorry.

When you're ready to complete Reduced to Rubble, here's how to make it so.

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Valve has announced three new Steam hardware products, which will all be shipping out in early 2026. Next year will see the launch of a new Steam Controller, a Steam Machine for PC gaming, and the Steam Frame VR headset, with specific launch timing and pricing to be shared after the first of the year.

Steam ControllerGallery

The Steam controller is inspired by Valve's Steam Deck mobile gaming PC, and it includes all the inputs required to play a modern game. Valve says this controller is equipped with next-generation precision magnetic thumbsticks, full-sized controls, trackpads, gyro, and grip buttons, and it's compatible with PC, Steam Deck, Steam Machine, and the Steam Frame. According to Valve, you'll get up to 35 hours of use from a full charge.

Steam MachineGallery

If you're looking to bring your PC gaming to your TV, the Steam Machine looks like it'll be a compact solution. This roughly six-inch cube runs SteamOS and is made to work with the Steam Controller and Valve says that it also supports other "accessories" so that it can offer a "versatile" PC gaming experience.

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In the MCU, Brie Larson is best known for playing Carol Danvers/Captain Marvel. But next year, she's joining the Nintendo universe in The Super Mario Bros. Galaxy Movie. Larson is set to provide the voice of Mario's new friend, Princess Rosalina. Years ago, Larson was an avid Super Mario Galaxy player, and she had an appropriate response to ex-boyfriend when he said she was too devoted to the game.

Larson shared the story in 2020 (via Nintendo Life) when she launched her YouTube channel. In her initial video, Larson noted that she became a gamer because of her love for Super Mario Bros. and The Little Mermaid on the NES. She went on to say that she threw her first boyfriend out of the house because she was trying to beat the final level of Super Mario Galaxy.

"He said that I was 'taking it too seriously,' so I threw him out of my house," recalled Larson.

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Battlefield Redsec launched recently, and among the complaints about the battle royale game was that it has no olos playlist. One may be coming, however.

Design director Justin Wiebe told IGN, "I would say keep your ear to the ground on the future of solos." For now, however, Wiebe wanted to talk more about the reasons why Redsec has no solos playlist.

As for why Redsec doesn't have a solos playlist, Wiebe said the game was built as a "squad-based experience" and it's not as simple as you might think to add solos. "In my mind, that's not something you just turn on and just say, 'OK, solos,'" he said.

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Battlefield Studios is outlining its future plans for Battlefield 6, detailing all the balance changes and adjustments players can expect as part of the game's next two updates and beyond.

In a post from the official Battlefield Comms X account, Battlefield Studios said the development team has been paying attention to player feedback and "hard at work on how we will evolve the experiences for you all."

The first major changes outlined will come alongside the November 18 California Resistance update, which adds a new California-based map as well as an additional weapon and vehicle. Top of the list is an additional "tuning pass" for weapon dispersion and recoil buildup. Battlefield Studios notes that the dispersion changes apply to all weapons, while most weapons have also received recoil tuning.

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One of the last quests in the first batch of Arc Raiders quests is called Armored Transports. This quest requires you to round up a key on Blue Gate and use it to open one of the armored patrol cars scattered around the middle portion of the map. In this guide, we'll tell you where to find the key and how to spot one of these vehicles.

You need to extract from Blue Gate once you've completed this quest, so bring in a good loadout--including a solid shield and weapon you're comfortable with--to reduce any concerns that you might lose some good stuff if you find yourself in a battle.

Once you're ready to head out, here's how to complete the Armored Transport quest.

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Activision has released more details on what its teams are doing to try to stop cheaters in Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 for its upcoming launch this week.

In a blog post, Activision reminded people that they need TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot to play Black Ops 7 on PC as the foundation for anti-cheat measures. Activision says this can be thought of as a handshake that tells its Ricochet anti-cheat system about your PC, "I'm legit. Let's play."

The developer said it has "evolved" its machine-learning-based anti-cheat measures with the aim of helping the system become "smarter, faster, and fairer."

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Arc Raiders' first major update is upon us, and it's a doozy. Hot off the heels of a successful launch, developer Embark Studios is already introducing a new map to explore, two new ARC enemies to take down, fresh weapons and playstyles for players to check out, and more. It's a rather staggering amount of new content for a game that just released, so let's dive in and see what the fuss is all about.

Table of Contents [hide]

• What's new in Arc Raiders' North Line update
  • New map and community unlock event
  What's new in Arc Raiders' North Line update

  There's plenty of new stuff to see in Arc Raiders' North Line update, with the star of the show being the brand-new Stella Montis map. But the fun doesn't stop with new locations to explore. Here's what to know about everything new in the North Line update.

  New map and community unlock event

  The game's first four maps have been joined by a fifth called Stella Montis. Referred to as "cold, pristine, and filled with the remnants of humanity's lost ambitions," Stella Montis will presumably be an unforgiving map filled with snow or icy conditions.

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The PlayStation 5 is celebrating its 5-year anniversary today, November 12, 2025. Below, we take an in-depth look at the rise of the plucky little mascot, Astro Bot. The pack-in PS5 game Astro's Playroom popularized the character and led to his own award-winning standalone game.

Is Astro, the star of Astro's Playroom and Astro Bot, a Sony mascot? Nicolas Doucet isn't so sure. While the soft-spoken head of Team Asobi recognizes that the plucky little robot has the makings of a marquee character, and while it's become the face of the studio and even graces its logo, he also doesn't think it's his or the studio's place to say. To hear him tell it, a mascot is grown organically out of affection from fans, not a status assigned by corporate masters. On a recent trip to Team Asobi's studio in Japan, we got an up-close look at how Astro came to be and the design philosophy that drives the studio's playful, polished little automaton.

Birth of a Baby Robot

It wasn't long ago that Team Asobi's work wasn't meant to be seen directly by consumers at all. It was an internal R&D studio under the umbrella of Sony's Japan Studio, composed mostly of ex-developers, and devoted to developing tools and techniques for other Sony studios. It didn't have any grand ambitions to break into game development, but in hindsight, Doucet said the turn toward public development was probably inevitable.

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Backbone Pro Smartphone Controller: Xbox Edition

$180 | Now available

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Backbone has announced a new entry in its line of smartphone controllers, the Backbone Pro: Xbox Edition. This is priced at $180--$10 more than the regular Backbone Pro--and it is now available to purchase through retailers like Amazon, Best Buy, and Backbone's own online store. The controller also comes with one month of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate on the house, so you can check out The Outer Worlds 2 or any of the other big Game Pass releases of the year through Xbox Cloud Gaming.

Backbone Pro Smartphone Controller: Xbox Edition $180 | Now available

This is the second Backbone controller to feature an Xbox theme, and this version of the Backbone Pro adopts the same aesthetics from the smaller Backbone device. It features a transparent design with a signature Xbox green colorway, and it uses a USB-C connection for Android smartphones and iPhones 15/17/17.

The Backbone Pro is designed to be the company's premium line of smartphone controllers, as it comes equipped with redesigned ergonomics and high-quality components like a textured finish, quieter face buttons, full-sized ALPS analog sticks, Hall Effect triggers, and two remappable back buttons.

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Spider-Man: Miles Morales is celebrating its 5-year anniversary today, November 12, 2025. Below, we examine how the half-sequel capitalized on its smaller scope by telling a more intimate story.

Miles Morales swings past a small bodega as snow flurries catch the streetlights. Below him, vendors huddle in heavy coats, music spills from a corner bodega, and the streets of Harlem glow warm against the winter cold. The rhythm of the city seems to match his own momentum--fast, hopeful, alive. It’s familiar territory, but not quite the same New York Peter Parker protected previously. The city feels different now, more personal. It’s Miles’ home.

When Spider-Man: Miles Morales launched alongside the PlayStation 5 in November 2020, it didn’t look like a revolution. It wasn’t a full sequel, didn’t stretch across new boroughs, and didn’t introduce an entirely new rogues’ gallery. On paper, it was a stopgap--a smaller-scale spin-off meant to show off Sony’s new console and tide fans over until the next big thing.

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The Super Mario Bros. Movie was a huge hit for Nintendo when it first arrived in 2023--becoming the highest-grossing video game movie of all time--and its success led to The Super Mario Galaxy Movie sequel being greenlit. While the first film laid the groundwork for Illumination's animated take on Mario, Luigi, and their first adventure into the Mushroom Kingdom, the next movie will go beyond that setting and explore the cosmos. Ahead of its release next year, here's everything we know so far about the Super Mario Galaxy Movie.

The Super Mario Galaxy Movie release date

The Super Mario Galaxy Movie will be released on April 3, 2026.

The Super Mario Galaxy Movie plot

No surprises here, but for now, the plot is still being kept under wraps. Judging by the trailer, it looks like Bowser Jr. will be the primary antagonist as he searches for a way to free his dad, and the film is expected to be a loose adaptation of the Mario Galaxy games. Those classic games saw Mario forge a new friendship with Rosalina, a princess who watches over the cosmos from the Comet Observatory.

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The American Red Cross is teaming up with Pac-Man to celebrate the iconic game's 45th anniversary with a lifesaving mission: to find blood donors. You can schedule an appointment to donate blood, platelets, or AB Elite plasma today for patients who rely on blood transfusions during emergencies, treatments, and surgeries, to receive some official merch from this collaboration.

From November 17 through December 7, all who come to donate will receive exclusive Red Cross x Pac-Man socks and a limited-edition Pac-Man capsule toy, while supplies last. This campaign comes at a crucial time, as donor turnout has declined and the need for blood remains high during the holidays. Every donation helps ensure hospitals have enough for accident victims, cancer patients, and others in need.

Image credit: American Red Cross

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Activision has announced the first DLC for Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, and it'll be available at launch, with proceeds going to military veterans via the company's Call of Duty Endowment charity.

The C.O.D.E. Legacy: Tracer Pack is modeled on the real-world veteran Danielle Green, who lost her arm in combat and later worked with the robotics company Open Bionics on a new prosthetic arm. Green, who is a Purple Heart recipient, lost her arm while deployed in Iraq in 2004 when an RPG blast ripped off part of her left arm. The military police officer was conducting a rooftop security mission in Baghdad when her life changed forever.

"As I was about to return fire, something hit me," Green said. "Later [I learned] it was the blast, the RPG. When I was in the hospital, I decided to look down. That's when I realized that my left arm, my dominant arm, was shorter."

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The CEO of Nexon Co., Ltd., the publisher of Embark Studios' mega-popular extraction shooter Arc Raiders, has added his opinions to the chorus around the game's use of AI voice acting, claiming that "every game company" is using AI in development.

After Eurogamer gave it two out of five stars, which prompted this discourse, CEO Junghun Lee said in an interview with Gamespark (translated by Automaton) that AI has "definitely improved efficiency" in game production and live-service operations.

"First of all, I think it's important to assume that every game company is now using AI," Lee said. "But if everyone is working with the same or similar technologies, the real question becomes: How do you survive? I believe it's important to choose a strategy that increases your competitiveness."

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In just a few months, seeing a Pikachu sitting between trees in the Pokemon Forest will become a reality with the opening of PokePark Kanto. The Tokyo-based attraction is set to welcome its first visitors on February 5.

The Pokemon Company has stated that tickets will go on sale November 21 at 1 AM PT / 4 AM ET. PokePark Kanto "will be the first-ever permanent outdoor Pokemon attraction," situated on 26,000 square meters of land at Yomiuriland. The Pokemon theme park is basically split up between two areas: Pokemon Forest and Sedge Town.

The Pokemon Forest offers an opportunity to see the pocket monsters out in nature. A PokePark Kanto trailer--seen above--showcases a group of Eevees running through the grass, while a Charizard stands sentinel on the pathway. Meanwhile, Sedge Town showcases Pokemon and people living together. Visitors can apparently catch a show at the Pokemon Gym there and even run around a Battle Court.

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Ahead of Call of Duty: Black Ops 7's release on November 14, Activision has confirmed a key detail about the multiplayer mode. Some playlists will indeed have skill-based matchmaking toggled on, but most won't.

Developer Treyarch said on social media that the majority of the Black Ops 7 multiplayer playlists will have what is described as "open" matchmaking. In these playlists, skill is only "minimally considered," just as it was during the Black Ops 7 beta where Activision first rolled this out.

The exception for Black Ops 7 will be one rotating Moshpit playlist where "skill will be an important consideration." Additionally, Black Ops 7 Ranked play will feature SBMM when it launches in Season 2.

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