J Brodie Shirey

Some fans believe that the classic movie version of Broly could be included alongside his revamped canon version in the Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero roster. Shockwaves were sent throughout the DBZ gaming fandom when a new Budokai Tenkaichi sequel was announced during The Game Awards 2023, and since then Bandai Namco has been slowly revealing which iconic heroes and villains will be returning in the upcoming Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero. There has been plenty of new Dragon Ball material released since 2007’s Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 3, and Sparking Zero has already confirmed content from the more recent Dragon Ball Super anime.

A creative Pokemon fan recently designed some delicious regional variants for Applin and its evolutions, all themed after different foods. The fruit-like Grass/Dragon hybrid Applin was introduced to players in Pokemon Sword and Shield back in 2019 as part of the new lineup of 81 creatures residing in the United Kingdom-inspired Galar region. Like many other Pokemon monsters, Applin can evolve into different forms by fulfilling certain conditions, and is the only Gen 8 Pokemon to have a branched evolutionary line that players can influence by exposing it to certain types of apples.

The popular DC Universe Online MMO is finally coming to the PlayStation 5, and there is new information about the game’s upcoming 2024 content. Developer Dimensional Ink Games and prolific MMO publisher Daybreak Game Company released DC Universe Online for the PS3 and PC way back in 2011, providing comic book fans with a virtual sandbox where they can create their own characters and join forces with iconic DC heroes and villains to complete various missions and side activities.

Final Fantasy 16 could make the jump to other platforms once it launches on PC, at least according to some of the game’s developers. The latest mainline Final Fantasy game launched exclusively on the PlayStation 5 last June, but Square Enix has promised a PC port at a later date. So far, there is no official word on when the PC version of Final Fantasy 16 will be released, but producer Naoki Yoshida recently told fans that it is in the end stages of development and a playable demo should be forthcoming.

The Pokemon-style RPG Cassette Beasts is getting a major new update, adding online multiplayer and a host of other interesting features later this year. UK-based developer Bytten Studio and prolific indie publisher Raw Fury released Cassette Beasts on Windows and Linux computers last April, with a wider launch on Xbox systems and the Nintendo Switch the following month. Just like Pokemon, Cassette Beasts tasks players with collecting different elementally empowered creatures, although these monsters are stored within old-fashioned audio cassette tapes and summoned using a handheld cassette player.

Nearly 50 talented artists recently joined together to create an amazing mural in tribute to the late Dragon Ball creator Akira Toriyama. Earlier this month, fans of anime and gaming alike were saddened by the heartbreaking news that Toriyama had passed away from acute subdural hematoma at age 68. Dragon Ball itself has spawned countless video games, but Akira Toriyama also had a hand in creating legendary titles like Chrono Trigger and the Dragon Quest series, and numerous other franchises like Sonic the Hedgehog have drawn influence from his work.

Gameplay footage for the rumored Sonic the Hedgehog battle royale spin-off has just been leaked online, giving interested fans a glimpse at its fast-paced multiplayer action. The past couple of years have seen the release of several Sonic the Hedgehog games, from the experimental open-world format of Sonic Frontiers to the more traditional 2D platforming of Sonic Superstars. 2024 looks to be yet another banner year for the Blue Blur, with several promising tie-in projects on the horizon.

The Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 version of Venom is crawling into the comics in this year’s Venomverse Reborn event, just a few months after menacing gamers on the PlayStation 5. Even before Spider-Man 2 launched back in October, Venom’s presence in the Insomniac universe was strongly felt and hinted at. In the Marvel’s Spider-Man post-credits scene, it is revealed that Norman Osborn has been keeping his terminally ill son Harry suspended in a tank in his penthouse, with an all-too-familiar-looking black substance floating alongside him. Come Spider-Man: Miles Morales, Norman orders Harry to be released, despite the protests of Dr. Curtis Conners.

A trailer for Final Fantasy 16's upcomingThe Rising Tide DLC has just been released, revealing a new boss fight against the legendary Leviathan. The latest mainline entry in the iconic Final Fantasy series launched last summer with a gritty, medieval tale set in the twin continents of Valisthea, which is divided into warring kingdoms that are represented by Eikons, Final Fantasy 16’s take on the franchise’s Summons. It is here that a fallen nobleman named Clive Rosfield embarks on a quest for revenge that soon becomes a battle to liberate Valisthea from the dark forces that oppress its people.

Relic Castle, a popular website dedicated to creating and curating Pokemon fan games, has been taken offline following a DMCA. The long-running Pokemon franchise has inspired plenty of creativity among its legions of fans over the past few decades, from impressive artwork of creatures like Pikachu and Eevee to fan-made spin-off games that place the series in genres that likely wouldn’t be explored by Game Freak. This includes mods that add Pokemon characters to other video games like Minecraft and custom Pokemon games that recreate Ash Ketchum’s journey in the Pokemon anime.

The cast and composer for Marvel 1943: Rise of Hyrda have been revealed, showing fans who will be voicing Captain America, Black Panther, and more. After over a year of relative silence, Skydance Interactive and Marvel showed off their upcoming game collaboration in a big way earlier this week with a blockbuster Marvel 1943: Rise of Hydra trailer. The game was first revealed back in 2022, with the base premise being Captain America and Black Panther joining forces to take down Hydra during World War 2.

The developers behind Super Mario Bros. Wonder recently shared some unused Wonder Effect designs at this year’s Game Developers Conference. The latest mainline Mario platformer launched on the Nintendo Switch in October to rave reviews and record-breaking sales figures, with many praising Super Mario Bros. Wonder for its colorful graphics and imaginative additions to the classic 2D Mario formula.

Skydance Interactive’s Captain America and Black Panther team-up game is now officially titled Marvel 1943: Rise of Hydra, and a new story trailer sees the two legendary heroes face off against each other. This World War 2-based superhero action title was first announced during a Disney and Marvel Games Showcase at D23 2022, with players taking control of Captain America, Black Panther, a Howling Commando named Gabriel Jones, and a Wakandan spy named Nanali as they battle the forces of Hydra across Paris and Wakanda during the Great War.

Fans have just gotten a new look at the upcoming Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero in a new video presentation, including some of the new gameplay mechanics being introduced in this long-awaited sequel. The Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi (or Sparking, as they are subtitled in Japan) games rank among the most beloved titles in the iconic Dragon Ball franchise, and fans have been eagerly awaiting a new entry since the release of Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 3 way back in 2007. Bandai Namco finally answered their wishes during The Game Awards 2023 with the announcement of Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero.

Funko’s newly announced line of Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 Pops includes Miles Morales’s infamous Evolved Suit from the end of the game. Just like Insomniac’s previous Marvel offerings, Spider-Man 2 gives fans a collection of alternate attires for its two web-slinging protagonists, many of which were pulled directly from the various Spider-Man comics, cartoons, and films. Others were created exclusively for the game, such as the “Evolved” costume that Miles dons during Spider-Man 2’s Symbiote-centric third act.

A skilled Pokemon fan has just designed adorable baby forms for Lugia, Ho-Oh, and Suicune. All three of these legendary Pokemon were introduced in Pokemon Gold and Silver, with Ho-Oh and Lugia serving as the cover monsters for the mainline Generation 2 Pokemon games. Meanwhile, Suicune is part of a trio of Legendary Beasts, alongside Entei and Raikou, and was featured on the cover of the updated Pokemon Crystal in 2001.

Star Wars Jedi: Survivor drew from many different sources from across the legendary franchise, including the extremely controversial Last Jedi. The second installment in Respawn’s series of Star Wars action titles launched last April and continued the story of Cal Kestis as he traveled across the galaxy on a new mission to uncover a lost Jedi sanctuary. Along the way, Star Wars Jedi: Survivor players unlock new lightsaber stances and Force abilities, battle bounty hunters and Imperial stormtroopers alike, and explore several classic Star Wars locations.

Steam has just set another record for the most concurrent players just a week after clearing its previous milestone. Valve’s PC gaming outlet has been the go-to platform for digital purchases over the past few decades, giving players access to a vast catalog of classic gems and modern-day hits. Even with the “console wars” between Nintendo, PlayStation, and Xbox raging ever on and the Epic Game Store rising as a new competitor in the PC gaming landscape, Steam still benefits from a large community of users that continues to grow to record-setting numbers.

A talented artist and Pokemon fan recently showed off a collection of impressive regional variants and evolutions they designed for popular creatures like Xatu, Hoodlay, and Skitty. Starting with 2016’s Pokemon Sun and Moon, new Pokemon generations have been introducing region-specific alternate versions of existing Pokemon that reimagine them as a different elemental type. Some Pokemon even have multiple variants, such as Meowth having a Dark-type one in Alola and a Steel-type one in Galar.

The recently released Star Wars Battlefront Classic Collection may still be using a fan mod for its bonus content, as claimed by the person who originally made it. When it was announced that longtime Star Wars PC port developer Asypr was bringing the first two Battlefront games to modern hardware in the Star Wars Battlefront Classic Collection, fans were excited. This only increased when it was revealed that the collection would also feature the Xbox-exclusive DLC for Star Wars Battlefront 2, which allowed players to take control of Clone Wars-era fan favorites Asajj Ventress and Kit Fisto.

Concept art for Insomniac’s canceled Spider-Man multiplayer game has just been leaked online, including a possible look at the title’s character creation screen. Insomniac infamously fell victim to a massive ransomware attack just a few months after Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 swung onto the PlayStation 5, exposing much of the developer’s plans for future Marvel video games. Among already confirmed titles like Marvel’s Wolverine and long-suspected projects centered around Venom and the X-Men was a game that Insomniac had reportedly already canceled long before the data breach: an online multiplayer title called Spider-Man: The Great Web.

WB Games Montreal, the studio behind Gotham Knights, could be assisting Monolith Productions with its upcoming WonderWomangame — at least according to a newly discovered job listing. WB Montreal is already well familiar with the DC Universe, having helped Rocksteady with Batman: Arkham City Armored Edition for the Wii U in 2012 before releasing Batman: Arkham Origins the following year. Its next gaming venture took it outside of the Arkhamverse with Gotham Knights, a spiritual successor that shifted the focus toward the other members of the Bat Family as they carried out the mission of defending Gotham City after Batman’s death.

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom has been home to plenty of strange and helpful fan creations, and one player is showing off their unique machine that helps Link clear enemies off the bridges of Hyrule. Tears of the Kingdom is one of the most successful Zelda entries of all time in terms of sales and critical acclaim, and part of that stems from the way it builds off the open-world framework of 2017’s Breath of the Wild with a surprisingly in-depth crafting mechanic that lets players build virtually anything they can imagine.

This article has SPOILERS for the Insomniac Spider-Man games

Pokemon Scarlet and Violet’s lukewarm reception seems to have had an impact on Pokemon TCG sales, which have dropped since the latest Pokemon entries were released on the Nintendo Switch in 2022. Fans were less than thrilled with Game Freak’s latest monster-gathering JRPGs, as Pokemon Scarlet and Violet quickly became some of the lowest-rated mainline Pokemon entries despite their record-breaking launch. Players even started review-bombing Pokemon Scarlet and Violet for various reasons, including their many performance issues.

A passionate Halo fan recently showed off their impressive 3D printed rendition of Master Chief’s original MJOLNIR Powered Assault Armor Mark IV helmet. As the face of the Halo franchise, Master Chief is one of gaming’s most recognized mascots, largely due to his signature green Spartan armor. While his look has evolved to a certain degree over the years, the Chief’s legendary Spartan helmet remains a symbol of hope for humanity in the face of the never-ending battles against the Covenant and Banished forces.

Fans are rallying to save Insomniac’s canceled Spider-Man multiplayer game with a petition that is rapidly gaining signatures. Just a few months after Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 launched to much critical and commercial success, Insomniac fell victim to a massive data breach that exposed the studio’s ideas for future Marvel video games. Included in this was Spider-Man: The Great Web, an online multiplayer title that would allow players to roam an open-world sandbox version of New York City and battle supervillains together.

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth director Naoki Hamaguchi recently weighed in on the possibility of expansions for the Queen’s Blood card game in the wake of its popularity. Just like Final Fantasy 7 Remake before it, Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth expands on the story of the 1997 original and includes many new side quests and bonus activities. Chief among them is Queen’s Blood, a card game that can be played in the lands beyond Midgar’s borders.

An imaginative Pokemon fan recently created a new Eevee evolution that combines both Water and Rock types. The original Pokemon gamesintroduced players to a wide assortment of collectible monsters, and Eevee stands as one of the most popular and unique. While plenty of Pokemon evolve into stronger forms by fulfilling certain conditions, Eevee takes this a step further by having several different branches that can be unlocked by exposing the little fox-like creature to particular elemental stones or maxing out its Friendship level at a certain time of the day.

An old Nintendo patent from 20 years ago has just surfaced, showing what appears to be an N64 console with a DVD drive. The Nintendo 64 was a revolutionary system for its time, featuring groundbreaking 3D graphics that provided an additional sense of immersion to classic Nintendo games like Super Mario 64 and The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. However, the N64 still used cartridges for its software instead of making the jump to optical disks, a decision that led to Square Enix partnering with Sony to release Final Fantasy 7 as a PlayStation exclusive due to that console’s superior CD technology.

A concept trailer for Insomniac’s canceled Spider-Manmultiplayer game has just leaked online, giving fans a glimpse into what the ambitious project could have been like. Insomniac’s series of open-world Spider-Man games have earned critical acclaim from fans of Marvel’s legendary web slinger, starting with the successful Marvel’s Spider-Man back in 2018. A spin-off was released in 2020 in Spider-Man: Miles Morales, which saw the titular teenage hero come into his own as a crime-fighter. Both he and Peter Parker returned as playable characters in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 last year, facing off against deadly villains like Venom and Kraven the Hunter while struggling with their own personal demons.

A WWE 2K24 player recently recreated the legendary Sabu using the game’s character creation suite, but the superstar himself seems less than thrilled at the result. Sabu was a pioneering member of the original Extreme Championship Wrestling promotion, impressing fans with a hardcore style that blended high-flying acrobatics with the brutal use of weapons like steel chairs. He has appeared in numerous wrestling video games over the years, such as ECW Hardcore Revolution, the Legends of Wrestling series, and Backyard Wrestling: Don’t Try This At Home.

The producers behind the long-running Pokemon anime series have weighed in on the possibility of original protagonist Ash Ketchum returning to the show. Right around the time that Pokemon Red and Blue were taking the gaming world by storm, young TV viewers were introduced to Ash, an energetic 10-year-old boy with a dream of becoming the world’s greatest Pokemon master. Alongside his faithful Pokemon partner Pikachu, Ash traveled far and wide to challenge other trainers, build a growing collection of Pokemon allies, and stay one step ahead of the villainous Team Rocket on a quest that spanned 25 seasons and multiple Pokemon game generations.

Fans are quickly noticing a bizarre detail while playing Marvel’s Spider-Man 2’s newly-added New Game Plus mode while wearing Peter’s alien Symbiote Suit — and it's already becoming a meme. Months after the game first came out, Insomniac has finally added the much-requested New Game Plus to Spider-Man 2 in its latest update, allowing fans to restart the main story campaign with all of the unlocks from their initial playthrough.

A clever Halo Infinite player recently transformed their in-game avatar into a living Needler gun with a custom outfit inspired by the legendary weapon. The long-running Halo franchise is home to some of the most iconic firearms in sci-fi gaming, either as standard issue UNSC equipment that the Master Chief brings with him at the start of a mission or the more exotic Covenant weaponry he takes from enemy forces on the battlefield. Among the latter is the Needler, a handgun that fires explosive crystal shards at its target.

WWE 2K24 has just released a new update, making several quality-of-life improvements. Visual Concepts’ last couple of WWE video games have been constantly praised for their refined in-ring action, and WWE 2K24 is continuing this with good reviews so far. Fans who pre-ordered one of the game’s digital deluxe editions could jump into WWE 2K24 a few days ahead of its March 8 release, and now everyone can tag in and see for themselves how this year’s iteration builds on what worked in the past few entries.

LEGO Fortnite is releasing a major update, adding new building kit bundles and other quality-of-life improvements to Epic’s open-world building sandbox. Several new alternate modes were added to Fortnite last December, including LEGO Fortnite,Rocket Racing,and Fortnite Festival. As its name implies, LEGO Fortnite transforms Epic’s already colorful characters into LEGO Minifigures and replaces the base game’s frantic battle royale gameplay with a more relaxed crafting and survival formula that draws inspiration from Minecraft.

Marvel’s Spider-Man 2’s long-awaited New Game Plus update has finally been released, adding new features and bonus content that fans have been requesting since the game launched last October. While Spider-Man 2 earned much critical acclaim and quickly became one of Insomniac’s highest-selling titles, players decried not being able to replay story missions without creating a whole new save file, which in turn left them without much to do after clearing Spider-Man 2’s various side-activities the first time.

WWE 2K24 has partially censored Vince McMahon in its 40 Years of WrestleMania 2K Showcase Mode in the wake of the former chairman’s recent controversies. Earlier this year, ex-WWE employee Janel Grant filed a lawsuit accusing McMahon of sexually assaulting and trafficking her. WWE and parent company TKO have since distanced themselves from him, with McMahon stepping down from his position as executive chairman of the company and WWE no longer acknowledging him on its on-air programming.

The yet-untitled third installment in the Final Fantasy Remake series will remain exclusive to PlayStation consoles. After years of rumors, speculation, and hope from legions of fans, Square Enix finally released the first chapter of its modern reimagining of Final Fantasy 7 in 2020. Final Fantasy 7 Remake only told a fraction of the original’s plot, with the recently-released Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth continuing from when Cloud and the party leave Midgar until the fateful trip to the Forgotten Capital at the end of the old FF7’s second disk.

The hit PlayStation exclusive Ghost of Tsushima is officially coming to PC in May. Sly Cooper and Infamous studio Sucker Punch released Ghost of Tsushima in 2020 to much acclaim, winning gamers over with an impressively detailed open-world action title set in Japan’s feudal era. As samurai warrior Jin Sakai, players were tasked with liberating Tsushima Island from an invading Mongolian army using a mix of ancient swordplay and ninja-like stealth. In 2021, Ghost of Tsushima was updated for the PS5, adding a new story expansion that took Jin to Iki Island to battle a sinister cult.

Publisher Outright Games has just given fans their first look at Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutants Unleashed, an upcoming video game that ties into last year’s Mutant Mayhem animated film. Aside from the Heroes-In-A-Half-Shell making their long-awaited return to the silver screen, the past few years have been an exhilarating time for the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise — especially when it comes to video games.

Fans could be getting a new LEGO Super Mario announcement during the annual Mario Day celebration later this month. Every year on March 10, Nintendo holds special events and discounts in honor of the iconic Super Mario Bros. franchise, and this year’s festivities could include release dates for previously announced Switch titles like Paper Mario: The Thousand Year-Door and Luigi's Mansion 2 HD.

A modder has managed to bring The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom’s Ultrand to the classic Ocarina of Time, and with it the ability to craft basic vehicles. Tears of the Kingdom quickly became one of the most successful Zelda entries in recent memory when it launched on the Nintendo Switch last May, and this was partly due to the massive amount of freedom it gave players in interacting with the open world of Hyrule. 2017’s Breath of the Wild already featured this to some extent, but Tears of the Kingdom took it a step further with the addition of Link’s Ultrahand power.

Players now have an official release date for Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League’s first DLC season, which will add an alternate timeline version of the infamous Joker to the game’s roster of playable characters. Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League features a new incarnation of The Joker to emerge from the Multiverse and assist in the battle to retake Metropolis from Brainiac and his army of mind-controlled minions.

Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero could include content from the non-canon Dragon Ball theatrical movies, at least according to a recent magazine scan. Fans have been waiting for the return of the classic Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi series for nearly two decades, and their wish was finally granted with the announcement of Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero at The Game Awards 2023 back in December. Just like the past Budokai Tenkaichi games, Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero will allow fans to recreate their favorite battles from across the series, complete with striking cel-shaded graphics and destructible environments.

A PC port for Sucker Punch’s Ghost of Tsushima could be announced as early as this week, at least according to a rumor from a reliable industry insider. Ghost of Tsushima was released as a PlayStation 4 exclusive back in 2020 and earned rave reviews for its visually stunning open world, engaging combat and stealth gameplay, and compelling plot set against the backdrop of Japan’s feudal era. An updated PS5 port was released in 2021, adding haptic feedback courtesy of the DualSense controller and a new story campaign that pitted Jin Sakai against a sinister Mongolian cult on Japan’s Iki Island.

WB Games Montreal is now looking for a Creative Director to help with an upcoming AAA game supposedly based on a popular franchise. Warner Bros’ gaming division has had a mixed output over the past year or so. Hogwarts Legacy became one of the highest-selling games of 2023, and Mortal Kombat 1 was quickly hailed as an excellent installment in the long-running fighting franchise. On the other hand, Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League ultimately fell short of Warner Bros Discovery’s expectations at the beginning of this year.

The recent layoffs at Electronic Arts may have put the future of some upcoming projects in question, but fans can rest assured that Mass Effect 5 is still being worked on at BioWare. There has been a growing number of layoffs in the gaming industry over the past year or so, with Mass Effect 5 developer BioWare cutting part of the Star Wars: The Old Republic team back in June. This hasn’t slowed down in 2024, with a reported total of over 8,000 job losses in just the past couple of months alone.

The development team behind Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth didn’t always know when the game was going to end, and it could have left off at a different point in the original’s story. After almost four years, Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth has finally been released, continuing the story of Cloud, Tifa, Aerith, Sephiroth, and the rest of the cast that fans know and love from the original Final Fantasy 7 and its many spin-offs. Just like Final Fantasy 7 Remake before it, FF7 Rebirth only retells a fraction of the 1997 PlayStation classic’s plot, picking up where its predecessor left off with Cloud and his friends escaping Midgar.

NetherRelam has just released the patch notes for the new Peacemaker update, which is now available in Early Access to those who purchased the game’s Premium Edition. While he was once a relatively obscure DC Comics antihero, Peacemaker (real name Christopher Smith) has garnered mainstream attention over the past few years thanks to WWE star John Cena’s performance in DC Extended Universe projects like The Suicide Squad and the Peacemaker series on Max. This has led to Peacemaker being included as a DLC guest fighter in Mortal Kombat 1 alongside the previously released Omni-Man and the upcoming Homelander.

This article has SPOILERS for Marvel's Spider-Man 2

The upcoming Star Wars Battlefront Classic Collectionappears to use a fan-made mod for its bonus content. The old Star Wars Battlefront games are loved by fans for recreating the epic battles of the original Star Wars movies, and noted Star Wars port developer Aspyr is bringing them to modern consoles in an updated collection on March 14. Star Wars Battlefront Classic Collection contains all the action of the first two Battlefront titles alongside a few fun extras like the ability to play as fan favorites Kit Fisto and Asajj Ventress.

Grand Theft Auto 6 could be getting some star power from ScHoolboy Q, a rapper whose music has been featured in past GTA games. Grand Theft Auto 6 is easily one of the most highly-anticipated games in recent memory, and shockwaves were sent across the internet when Rockstar finally gave fans their first trailer of the new entry late last year. Since then, GTA 6 has been shrouded in mystery, with plenty of rumors and speculation about its story and Florida-based Leonida setting.

Pokemon Sleep is adding the thunderous Legendary Raikou to its line-up. Fans didn’t know what to make of Pokemon Sleep when it was first announced back in 2019, as The Pokemon Company only gave a proper explanation for what it was shortly before its release last summer. As its name suggests, Pokemon Sleep is a mobile app that tracks a player’s sleep patterns and allows them to unlock different Pokemon by simply having their phone next to them while dozing off for the night.

CM Punk hasn’t been confirmed as a playable character in WWE 2K24 yet, but the Chicago-born superstar recently made the case to be added as DLC down the road. Nearly ten years after his last virtual appearance in a WWE video game and just a few months removed from his controversial departure from AEW, CM Punk shocked audiences by walking out to the ring at the very end of November’s Survivor Series live event. Since then, there has been much speculation about Punk’s WWE future, including whether or not he will appear in the upcoming WWE 2K24.

According to a recently filed patent, Sony is trying to create AI-controlled companions that can change their behavior based on the player’s actions. Sony is always looking to improve its gaming platforms through promising new features like the ability to replay certain story and gameplay moments or maintain a player’s privacy while taking voice and video calls during a session of God of War Ragnarok or Marvel’s Spider-Man 2.

Newly-released gameplay videos are offering a look at how special stipulations like Casket Matches and Special Guest Referee contests will play out in WWE 2K24. The latest installment in the annual WWE 2K series is now only a few weeks away, and the creators of WWE 2K24 have been busy showing off the game’s many playable characters and game modes.

A fan recently combined their love of Pokemon and Avatar: The Last Airbender with a creative tattoo that reimagines Dragonite as Aang. Both these properties have captivated the imaginations of fans for decades, with Pokemon in particular building on its collection of elementally empowered creatures with each new game. This has enabled players to show off their own artistic skills through drawings, crafting, and even tattoos.

The 20 best-selling video games for January 2024 have just been revealed, showing which titles have drawn in the most customers since the start of the year. 2023 was pretty eventful for the gaming industry, both in landmark events like Microsoft’s Activision Blizzard buyout finally being completed and the releases of some highly-anticipated titles. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, and Starfield are just a few of the chart-topping games released in the past year.

Leaked info and potential spoilers ahead for Marvel's Wolverine.

Former WWE and ECW competitor Francine Meeks recently threatened to sue the people behind WWE 2K24 over supposedly stealing her trademarked wrestling nickname. Developer Visual Concepts has been showing off more of WWE 2K24 ahead of its March 8 street date, with the game’s entire roster of legendary wrestlers and modern-day superstars being officially unveiled earlier this week.

NetherRelam has finally shown off some of Peacemaker’s gameplay ahead of his forthcoming Mortal Kombat 1 debut, and there is even a new Kameo fighter to go with him. Every Mortal Kombat entry since 2011’s MK 9 included guest characters from other popular media as post-launch content, and Mortal Kombat 1 is continuing this tradition with its ongoing Kombat Pack 1. First came Omni-Man, who brought his brutal brand of Viltrumite justice to the rebooted world of MK 1 back in November. He will eventually be joined by The Boys’ Homelander sometime this spring, but before that another comic-book character will be stepping into the MK 1 arena.

A Pokemon fan recently demonstrated their fondness for the mighty Gyarados with an impressive sketch rendition. There are currently over a thousand creatures in the long-running Pokemon franchise, with many of the most popular ones being part of the original Pokemon Red and Blue line-up. Fans with artistic talent have often captured these 150 Pokemon in drawings and other creative works over the past few decades.

Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 is finally adding its long-awaited New Game Plus mode soon, along with additional costumes and accessibility features. Insomniac finally released Spider-Man 2 on the PlayStation 5 last October to much critical and commercial success, with the game quickly becoming one of the developer's highest-selling titles of all time. As both Peter Parker and Miles Morales, players are tasked with defending New York City from a multitude of classic comic book villains, including Kraven the Hunter and a reimagined version of Venom.

The classic Star Wars: Battlefront games are coming back in a blockbuster collection later this year. In 2004, Destroy All Humans developer Pandemic Studios released the original Star Wars: Battlefront, which allowed players to recreate famous battles from the Star Wars movies. A sequel was released the following year to coincide with Star Wars Episode 3: Revenge of the Sith, adding content from that movie as well as playable ship battles in space.

WWE 2K24 is bringing back Special Guest Referee Matches for the first time in 10 years, and now the developers have posted a brief teaser of the stipulation. During certain wrestling matches, the usual official is replaced by someone who usually doesn’t have this job, such as another WWE 2K24 wrestler. This can add drama to a given storyline, as the replacement referee in question more often than not has a personal bias (at least in kayfabe) toward or against one of the competitors, which could impact their enforcement of the rules during the match.

The developers behind the upcoming Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth recently hinted at how far along the yet-untitled third game in the saga is, giving fans a clue as to when they can expect to see it. Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth is now just over a week away from release, with players already able to experience a small fraction of its story in a free demo that shows Cloud’s flashback to the fateful Nibelhiem incident that serves as the backdrop for much of the FF7 plotline. A second Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth demo is set to launch on February 21 that will let fans explore a condensed Junon region.

An impressive collection of Tekken 8 mods gives characters like Kazuya Mishima, Jin Kazama, and Paul Phoenix their classic looks from the original PlayStation era — blocky polygon textures and all. Tekken 8 sees the return of many longtime Tekken fighters, all of whom sport updated designs and improved graphics thanks to Unreal Engine 5. Paul in particular has a noticeably different look from his last appearance in Tekken 7, with Tekken 8 swapping out his trademark high-top fade haircut for a more relaxed style that has garnered a mixed response from fans.

WWE 2K24 is bringing back the infamous ECW promotion for its MyGM mode. Extreme Championship Wrestling was created in 1992 as a competitor to both the World Wrestling Federation (as WWE was once known) and World Championship Wrestling, and set itself apart with a roster of future WWE 2K24 superstars and a more hardcore style of wrestling that saw competitors strike each other with weapons as often as punches and holds. WWE would start a revamped version of ECW as a third brand in 2006, but this would eventually end in 2010, with NXT taking its place two years later.

Fans of the iconic Terminator franchise might want to mark their calendars for February 29, as game publisher Nacon is getting ready to show off more of its upcoming open-world survival title set in the nightmare future established by the films. Terminator is one of the biggest sci-fi franchises out there, telling the story of an army of time-traveling, murderous robots and the brave humans fighting to stop them from conquering the world. While the sequels following 1991’s seminal Terminator 2: Judgment Day have all been divisive to various degrees, the series has retained its popularity across a variety of mediums.

Fans have spotted a dark Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League Easter egg hinting that James Gordon Jr. might be walking free in the Arkhamverse. After several years and numerous delays, Rocksteady finally released its Suicide Squad game late last month, putting players in the role of Task Force X as they battle against the brainwashed members of the Justice League in an open-world version of Metropolis. Reception to the game has been mixed, with plenty of controversy surrounding Suicide Squad’s plot and live-service gameplay model.

A crafty TheLegend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom player has put together a surprisingly speedy pickup truck for Link to drive across the realm of Hyrule. One of the main draws of the latest Zelda game is Tears of the Kingdom’s deep crafting mechanic, which allows players to build virtually anything they can think of using both the natural resources surrounding Link and the ancient technology left behind by the Zonai. This has led to Tears of the Kingdom becoming a virtual sandbox for players to flex their creative muscles in a variety of interesting ways.

Tekken 8 might be adding microtransactions through its new Tekken Shop, and fans are already divided. The latest Tekken game launched back in January to rave reviews, with many praising Tekken 8 for its plot, “aggressive” gameplay, and improved visual presentation. Tekken 8 has already surpassed publisher Bandai Namco’s sales expectations mere weeks after release, and this success will likely continue as the game’s post-launch DLC wave is released — starting with the fan favorite Capoeira expert Eddy Gordo.

Respawn Entertainment, the developer behind Titanfall and Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, is supposedly working on a new Star Wars game that could put players in the role of a Mandalorian. These masked warriors have captivated the imaginations of Star Wars since Boba Fett first appeared in The Empire Strikes Back, and they have been a staple of the franchise’s Expanded Universe for decades. Recent Star Wars media like The Mandalorian has fleshed out the lore and culture of the Mandalorians in Disney’s official canon, making the idea of playing as one in a video game all the more enticing for fans.

A talented Pokemon fan recently gave the popular Generation 1 creature Lapras an impressive past Paradox form. The Pokemon franchise has seen several interesting variants over the years, with the most recent being introduced in 2022’s Pokemon Scarlet and Violet. Paradox Pokemon are versions of certain Pokemonbreeds from a particular time period, with Pokemon Scarlet featuring creatures from the distant past and Pokemon Violet showing players what their favorite monsters will look like in the far-off future. Each Paradox Pokemon has at least one different type from their contemporary relative, as well as a unique name to set them apart.

Avatar: The Last Airbender is getting a competitive multiplayer fighting game next year. Nickelodeon’s Avatar: The Last Airbender animated series introduced a world comprised of four different nations, each one modeled after four basic elements that can be controlled by certain people known as “Benders.” At the heart of the show’s story is Aang, the titular Avatar who can command all four elements, and his growing group of friends who must work together to stop the oppressive Fire Nation from conquering the world.

Tekken 8 has been a smash hit among gamers, at least according to a recently released financial report from Bandai Namco. Tekken 8’s storypicks up where 2015’s Tekken 7 left off, with Jin Kazama fully recovered from the events of past entries and ready to challenge his father Kazuya Mishima to determine the fate of the world. Gameplay-wise, Tekken 8 introduces new concepts like the Heat System and Tornado Hits, which help give matches a more “aggressive” feel than those of its predecessors. There are also different gameplay modes like the new Arcade Quest and the returning Tekken Ball to keep players coming back for more.

Players should expect to see more PC ports of first-party PlayStation titles, as Sony is promising an “aggressive” multiplatform strategy going forward. In recent years, Sony has been branching some of its biggest games out from the confines of its flagship console, with titles like Horizon: Zero Dawn and 2018’s God of War reaching PC after their PlayStation-exclusive debuts. 2023 was especially big for PlayStation PC ports, as Returnal, The Last of Us Part 1, and Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart all found their way onto PC platforms like Steam.

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth’s demo will get an update on February 21, one that will carry over into the full game. Fans have been eagerly awaiting the next chapter in the massive Final Fantasy 7 Remake project, which will span a full trilogy of games and has already expanded on the story and lore of the beloved 1997 PlayStation original a great deal in its first installment. Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth will pick up where 2020’s FF7 Remake left off, with Cloud Strife and his friends journeying beyond the city of Midgar to solve the mystery of Sephiroth and the Ancients.