Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 features the return of running on walls, opening up more options for vertical traversal in multiplayer matches. Now called "Wall Jumps," the ability to hop off of walls is coming to the new Call of Duty game as part of updates to the Omnimovement system.

In a long blog post revealing details about Black Ops 7's multiplayer mode, developers Treyarch and Raven Software detailed how players will be able to jump off walls. Most notably, Black Ops 7 will restrict when and how you can use this traversal option. Wall Jumps will only be available on certain surfaces that are marked with special icons, and each Wall Jump will reduce the player's momentum. Three Wall Jumps can be chained together without needing to return to flat ground.

Running on walls has appeared in occasionally in past Call of Duty games, most notably Black Ops 3. In that game, players wore exoskeletons that allowed them to run, boost, and jump across walls, although its implementation was met with a mixed reception.

Yes, Stardew Valley is getting another patch in the future. No, it's not coming anytime soon, and creator Eric "ConcernedApe" Barone doesn't "want too much hype at this point" for update 1.7 after announcing it last month.

Barone responded to fans on X about the 1.7 update for Stardew Valley after they asked for a hint about what might be included with the patch. The game's creator noted "more will come," but at the same time stated, "It's going to be a while before the update is ready." Keep in mind that this is separate from the Switch 2 Edition update coming this fall, which will include mouse controls and four-player local co-op.

more will come. I just don't want too much hype at this point. It's going to be a while before the update is ready

The Stardew Valley 1.6 update was packed with a ton of additions after launching in 2024, such as eight-player multiplayer, the Meadowlands farm, and fishing festivals. In December, Barone said he was resuming work on Haunted Chocolatier after finishing up the Stardew Valley 1.6 update. The action-RPG was originally unveiled in late 2021 and will focus on a combo of mystery mixed with whimsy. The follow-up to Stardew Valley also has a shot at achieving the same stellar launch as Hollow Knight: Silksong just saw earlier this month.

A new Pokemon pop-up shop will be coming to the London Natural History Museum in early 2026, and fans of all things pocket monsters can expect exclusive items to be sold here. Can fans also expect to compete for these items with scalpers who view opportunities like this as an opportunity to make some quick cash? If previous Pokemon events are any indicator, probably.

The Pokemon Company will be celebrating the history of the 30-year-old franchise with this event. "There is such a wonderful alignment between Pokémon and the Natural History Museum--we're obviously both big fans of the natural world and its evolution and diversity," director of commercial and visitor experience for the museum Adam Farrar said (via Eurogamer). "We hope this collaboration will spark joy and curiosity in the creatures around us, both in the world of Pokémon and Earth."

While scalping is a fear, the museum is attempting to prevent this by requiring visitors to claim free tickets that'll be offered online starting October 1. The pop-up shop is scheduled to run from January 26 through March 22, and it'll offer clothing, accessories, and more merchandise for sale. The item that'll likely be sought after the most will be an exclusive plush toy of Pikachu hugging the museum.

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."

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.

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.

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.

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.

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."

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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."

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."

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.

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.

In my restless dreams, I see that town. I see its fog-drenched foothills and derelict buildings. I see its dead-end alleys and blank-faced inhabitants. And though it's not the same haunt that ensnared Harry, Heather, James, and the others--the same town that’s siren song broke many a man while simultaneously building one of the most iconic horror game franchises in existence--Silent Hill f's Ebisugaoka is still a place that demands your attention; a place that, once you're there, you never truly leave. Or perhaps more aptly, it never leaves you.

The same can be said for Silent Hill f itself. Although the game distances itself from previous entries in the series--most notably by trading in its Lynchian-meets-Boschian ambience and small-town America setting in favor of slow-burning Japanese horror and the humid foothills of Honshu--its overall experience is every bit as memorable as those offered by its predecessors. And yet Silent Hill f is not merely a somewhat-divergent continuation of a beloved series; it's an evolution, offering several gameplay improvements while also paving a new path forward. With its brilliant writing, well-designed and strategic gameplay, engaging combat, and spectacular visuals, Silent Hill f firmly establishes itself as a phenomenal work of psychological horror and among the best entries in the Silent Hill series.

Though Silent Hill f's setting is, to be cliche, very nearly a character in itself, at the center of the game's story is Shimizu Hinako, a young high school student who is violently thrust into a disturbing version of her hometown. In the game's opening moments, it's made clear that Hinako's relationships are rife with tension. As a young woman growing up during the late 1960s, much of this tension stems from her resistance towards being a "proper" young woman, much to her parents' dismay. In her journal, she writes that her father is the very definition of a patriarchal husband--demanding, severe, and domineering--while her mother is passive to the point of cowardice. For a long time, Hinako's older sister, Junko, was the only person she could rely on for companionship and protection. This changed, however, once she got married and left home, leaving Hinako alone and drowning in resentment.