J Brodie Shirey

The latest trailer for Princess Peach: Showtime is out, and with it comes four new transformations that its titular heroine will be able to utilize. While Princess Peach usually plays a supporting role in Mario’s adventures, Nintendo announced that the monarch of the Mushroom Kingdom would be stepping into the spotlight in her own video game. Princess Peach: Showtime tasks Peach with saving the Sparkle Theater from the Wicked Grape and the Sour Bunch, using a variety of special costumed transformations and assistance from the theater’s guardian, Stella.

AEW: Fight Forever’s latest batch of DLC is now out, adding three popular wrestlers as playable characters alongside a wealth of other exciting content. Publisher THQ Nordic and former WWE 2K developer Yuke’s have been building on AEW: Fight Forever since the arcade-style wrestling simulator first launched last June, such as adding the multiplayer Stadium Stampede mode back in August. “Beat the Elite” followed in December, pitting players against 10 opponents before they go head-to-head with one of The Elite themselves.

A dedicated Nintendo Wii fan recently modded their many consoles in a visually impressive display. Nintendo launched the Wii as a competitor to the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in 2006, and it stood out from its contemporaries thanks to its inventive motion-based controls. Using the system’s WiiMote controller, players could see their movements recreated in-game, and this novel approach helped bring in a wider audience of families and non-traditional gamers. As a result, the Nintendo Wii quickly became one of the highest-selling video game consoles of all time.

An eagle-eyed player has spotted a deep Mass Effect Easter egg in Helldivers 2, one that might put a smile on the face of anyone with fond memories of shopping in the Citadel. Earlier this month, Arrowhead Game Studios released the sequel to its 2015 top-down shooter Helldivers on PlayStation 5 and PC. Helldivers 2 shifts the camera to an over-the-shoulder third-person perspective, but it retains the same premise: as one of the titular Helldivers, the player must travel to alien worlds to defend the Super Earth government from various extraterrestrial threats.

A fan has compared the recently launched Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth demo with cutscenes from the original game to show what has changed since players last explored the doomed town of Nibelheim. Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth isn’t set to launch in full until the end of February, but eager fans can experience part of this next chapter ahead of time thanks to a playable demo released following last week’s State of Play livestream. Said demo features one of the most important sequences in the sprawling Final Fantasy 7 lore: Cloud Strife’s flashback to the fateful mission in his hometown of Nibelheim.

A creative Pokemon fan recently stitched together a collection of colorful beanie hats based on some of the franchises’ most popular creatures from the first two generations. Nintendo’s long-running RPG series is home to over 1,000 unique Pokemon as of this writing, sparking the imaginations of fans all around the world. These fans have expressed their affection for particular Pokemon creatures through artwork and custom clothing for nearly three decades, and the results have been about as captivating as the games themselves.

This article contains SPOILERS for Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League.

Lawrence “Florida Joker” Sullivan has once again put out a message to Rockstar Games over the upcoming Grand Theft Auto 6, but he seems to be dropping his threats of legal action. Sullivan’s mugshot went viral in 2017 due to his facial tattoos baring a resemblance to The Joker of DC Comics fame, and he would gain newfound infamy shortly after Rockstar released the first trailer for the long-awaited Grand Theft Auto 6 back in December. Included in this trailer was a brief shot of a similarly tattooed criminal being taken to court, and Sullivan quickly accused Rockstar of stealing his look.

A Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom player has managed to combine various known tricks and glitches to create a cannon that Link can fire remotely. Just like Breath of the Wild before it, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom gives players a vast, open-world version of Hyrule to explore and perform various side activities to distract themselves from the game’s primary quest. An extra wrinkle in this is brought about through Tears of the Kingdom’s new crafting mechanics, which allow creative players to scrape together vehicles, weapons, and even shelters to help Link save the kingdom from Ganondorf and his dark forces.

Warning! Batman: Arkham series spoilers ahead.The Joker is back in Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, and the developers at Rocksteady have just shared some insight into why this new version of the Clown Prince of Crime looks so different from the one from past Arkhamverse games. Although the Joker fatally succumbed to Titan poisoning at the end of 2011’s Batman: Arkham City, there were rumors that Rocksteady was planning to bring the cackling fiend back in some way in Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League’s post-launch DLC.

According to a recently filed patent, Sony is working on a new summary system to help gamers keep track of everything that happens during a play session. The PlayStation parent company has filed several patents over the years, detailing interesting new features like the ability to replay particular story moments through “trigger points.” Another Sony patent mentions game difficulty that automatically adjusts to a player’s skill level so they don’t have to dive into a settings menu if they are struggling with a certain level or boss fight.

A now-deleted social media post has fans guessing that The Legend of Zelda could be finally getting its own theme park attraction after years of speculation. When the first Super Nintendo World location opened at Universal Studios Japan back in 2021, it was primarily focused on the Big N’s flagship Super Mario Bros. franchise, but it would soon start introducing interactive rides and attractions based on its other properties. A few months after the Japanese park went live, Nintendo announced that there would be a Donkey Kong-themed expansion coming in spring 2024, with an American version being added to the upcoming Universal Studios Orlando exhibit in 2025.

Some eagle-eyed fans think they saw Tommy Vercetti’s island mansion in the Grand Theft Auto 6 reveal trailer. Even before Rockstar officially gave players a look at Grand Theft Auto 6, there were many rumors that the next entry in the infamous open-world crime series would return to Vice City, which serves as the GTA universe’s version of Miami. Grand Theft Auto 6 will take players to Leonida, the Florida-inspired state that Vice City is located in, and sure enough, an alternate universe version of the troubled town could be seen in the game’s trailer.

Death Stranding is getting a special edition controller to commemorate the game’s upcoming release on Apple’s iPhone 15 Pro later this month. Hideo Kojima’s 2019 action title earned warm reviews for its haunting dystopian atmosphere, themes of connection and isolation that grew increasingly resonant in the years that followed its launch, and an ambitious cast of celebrity actors that included the likes of Norman Reedus and Mads Mikkelsen. Two years after the original’s PS4 release, Death Stranding: Director's Cut was launched for the PlayStation 5 in 2021, featuring enhanced graphics and a wealth of new gameplay content.

This article will contain SPOILERS for the Tekken seriesThe latest Tekken 8 playablecharacter has been revealed as the dreaded Devil Jin. After spending much of the previous game on the sidelines, Jin Kazama is finally stepping back into the role of the main protagonist in Tekken 8 to challenge his father Kazuya Mishima in one final battle to determine the fate of the world. While Kazuya seems to have the full might of the G Corporation in his corner, Jin has his own not-so-secret weapon to help tip the scales for the rest of humanity: the Devil Gene.

After threatening to sue Rockstar for the past couple of months, Lawrence “Florida Joker” Sullivan is now offering to voice the Grand Theft Auto 6 character he claims is based on his infamous 2017 mugshot. The initial Grand Theft Auto 6 trailer was filled with outlandish characters and wild antics, and one of the most notable moments is a brief shot of a tattooed criminal being taken to court. This criminal was quickly compared to Sullivan, who wasted little time accusing Rockstar of stealing his likeness and threatening to take legal action against the developer.

A talented Pokemon fan recently dreamed up an Electric-type Vulpix variant to go along with their previous Ninetales redesign. The fox-like Vulpix was introduced in the original Pokemon Red and Blue games as the 37th creature overall, with the ability to evolve into the majestic Ninetales when it is exposed to a Fire Stone. Both of these evolutions are modeled after the kitsune, a multi-tailed fox of Japanese lore with the ability to breathe fire — a fitting inspiration for a pair of Fire-type Pokemon. Vulpix and Ninetales were later given alternate Alola region variants in Pokemon Sun and Moon that swapped out their usual Fire abilities with Ice.

The latest Princess Peach: Showtime trailer gives players a closer look at the new forms the titular monarch will utilize, including two previously unseen transformations. Nintendo announced this Peach-centric spin-off back in June, roughly 18 years after she first took the spotlight in the Nintendo DS title Super Princess Peach. This time around, Peach is tasked with exploring a theater stage version of the Mushroom Kingdom to stop the Wicked Grape and the Sour Bunch from ruining the Sparkle Theater’s stage productions with the help of the theater’s guardian Stella.

A credible gaming news seeker has uncovered signs that Metroid Prime 4 could finally be reaching the end of development. There hasn’t been a new entry in the beloved Metroid Prime spin-off series since Metroid Prime 3: Corruption back in 2007, and players have been waiting eagerly for Samus Aran’s next chilling first-person adventure. Metroid Prime 4 was first announced at E3 2017, but the project would suffer numerous setbacks in the years to come.

A dedicated gamer is parting ways with their massive collection of over 140 titles and 14 systems spanning multiple console generations. Just like any other hobby, gaming has its share of devoted fans who acquire and show off impressive collections of games, consoles, and other merchandise from particular franchises or platforms.

PlayStation’s next wave of first-party PC ports has been leaked online, and if this rumor is true then some of the company’s biggest exclusives are branching out in 2024. While Sony’s staple of first-party studios has naturally focused on making exclusive titles for PlayStation consoles, Sony has been working toward bringing some of these games to a wider PC audience in recent years. This has had mixed results so far, with titles like Horizon Zero Dawn and 2018’s God of War finding major success while others like Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection and The Last of Us Part 1 struggling to make sales on PC outlets like Steam.

Almost anything can happen in the untamed open world of Red Dead Redemption 2, including Arthur flying through the air like the God of Thunder himself thanks to a strange glitch. Just like Rockstar’s various Grand Theft Auto titles, Red Dead Redemption 2 allows players to distract themselves from the story of outlaw Arthur Morgan to engage in all kinds of entertaining side activities like hunting animals for their pelts and tracking down dangerous criminals for a hefty bounty. This in turn can open the door to wild and unexpected moments, such as one unlucky player being chased off a cliff by an angry bear.

The upcoming Indiana Jones and the Great Circle will see veteran voice actor Troy Baker play the titular treasure hunter. Bethesda revealed that it is working on an Indiana Jones video game back in 2021, with subsidiary Wolfenstein studio MachineGames on developmental duties. There has been very little official information in the years since the Indiana Jones game’s first 30-second teaser trailer was shown, save that it is being produced exclusively for PC and Xbox consoles following Microsoft’s buyout of Bethesda parent company ZeniMax Media in 2021.

A divisive Tekken 8 accessibility feature is reportedly being altered ahead of launch after concerns that it could lead to players being hospitalized. Many video games have taken great strides in making sure that everyone can enjoy them over the past few years, and fans got to see some of Tekken 8’s accessibility features when its free demo was released in early December. These included color filters that are meant to help colorblind players see the onscreen action and menu UI elements that they would have difficulty with otherwise.

An unofficial Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 PC port derived from materials leaked in the recent Insomniac data breach is being scrapped. After two years of hype and eager anticipation, Spider-Man 2 finally launched on the PlayStation 5 to rave reviews in October. While it didn’t take home any honors at The Game Awards 2023, Spider-Man 2 was still well-regarded for updating the open-world gameplay formula of its predecessors and quickly became one of Insomniac’s highest-selling video games.

In yet another chapter of the controversial saga of former Donkey Kong record holder Billy Mitchell, Twin Galaxies has decided to restore his scores on its history website database. Billy Mitchell is one of the most infamous figures within the pro gamer landscape, having first risen to prominence during the arcade days of the 1980s and 1990s by setting records for such titles as the original Pac-Man and Donkey Kong. He would gain a new level of fame after re-breaking the record score for Donkey Kongmultiple times during the 2000s, with his resulting rivalry with fellow gamer Steve Wiebe being chronicled in the 2007 documentary The King of Kong.

Fans were just surprised with two exciting Tekken 8 trailers, one revealing the game’s opening cinematic and another showing off the returning character Lee Chaolan. The next chapter of Bandai Namco’s blistering 3D fighting franchise is now over a week away, and much of Tekken 8’s roster and premise have already been shown to the eager gaming public. Many fan-favorite characters from past entries are returning in Tekken 8, with one of the most recent ones highlighted being the warrior tombkeeper Zafina.

At this week’s ongoing Awesome Games Done Quick event, a very talented dog managed to speedrun a lesser-known NES game for charity, to the delight of both their owner and viewers all around the world. For the past decade or so, Awesome Games Done Quick has been held every January to raise money for the Prevent Cancer Foundation. The past three Awesome Games Done Quick events were held remotely due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but this year is seeing the show return to a live format at the Wyndham Grand Pittsburgh Hotel in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania from January 14 to the 21st.

The upcoming PlayStation exclusive Foamstarswill utilize AI for some of its artwork, as confirmed by producer Kosuke Okatani. Square Enix announced this colorful multiplayer hero shooter during a PlayStation Showcase event back in May, quickly drawing comparisons to Nintendo’s Splatoon series due to Foamstars’ primary gimmick of spraying the battlefield with foam to help navigate the environment or block enemy attacks. Foamstars is set to launch as part of the PlayStation Plus Monthly Games lineup on February 6, and if successful could kickstart a new wave of Splatoon-like games.

A classic Xbox controller is coming back by way of accessory maker Hyperkin. The Xbox brand has seen many different controllers throughout four console generations, each one building off the general layout of the original Xbox gamepad introduced to players back in 2001. The first iteration of the Xbox controller, affectionately nicknamed the “Duke” by the late Brett Schnepf, was known for its bulky, egg-like shape that would prove difficult to manage for many players of the early 2000s.

Ned Luke, the actor behind Grand Theft Auto 5’s bank robber-turned-criminal mentor Michael De Santa, recently spoke out against an AI program copying his voice without his knowledge or approval. AI-generated content has grown more prevalent in recent years, with computer programs capable of making images and even replicating famous voices with increasingly uncanny accuracy. This in turn has ignited plenty of controversy over the prospect of AI replacing human artists, with gaming companies like Wizards of Coast coming under fire for using it in official projects.

Fans who got to play Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League ahead of its launch next month have noticed an interesting tidbit about the game’s version of Batman: he will follow the player around the open world of Metropolis as only The Dark Knight can. Rocksteady held a closed alpha test for Suicide Squadback in November, allowing a small group of players to try the game out for themselves while Rocksteady tested its online servers. Rocksteady and WB Games also held a special preview event for Suicide Squad recently, allowing press members and social media influencers to play through the first few hours.

A crafty Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom player has shown off an impressive custom battle machine that can swat Link’s enemies away like flies. Tears of the Kingdom was one of the biggest releases of 2023, smashing sales records mere months after its May launch on the Nintendo Switch and earning widespread praise for its expansion of the free-roaming formula introduced in 2017’s Breath of the Wild. One of Tears of the Kingdom’s biggest additions is a surprisingly versatile crafting mechanic, which players can use to create all manner of vehicles and contraptions to help Link bring peace to the realm of Hyrule once again.

Yet another returning character has been revealed for Tekken 8, with the tomb keeper Zafina ready to unleash an ancient evil upon her unlucky opponents. The next chapter of Bandai Namco’s hard-hitting 3D fighting franchise is now only a few weeks from release, and there has been plenty of inspired marketing during the run-up to Tekken 8. For example, Succession star Brian Cox recently appeared in a trailer recapping the Tekken story so far, reminding fans of the dark and twisted rivalry of the Mishima family and its three most prominent members ahead of Kazuya Mishima and Jin Kazama’s next epic clash.

Sega is kicking off 2024 with a new Sonic Superstars update. Last year was jam-packed with exciting Sonic content, and this was capped off with the release of Sonic Superstars in October. In contrast to Sonic Frontiers’ open-world 3D approach, Superstars harkens back to the Blue Blur’s side-scrolling heyday with a 2D platforming experience that sees Sonic and his friends race to stop a trio of villains under the leadership of Dr. Eggman. Sonic Superstars added a few new tricks to the traditional, fast-paced Sonic gameplay, such as unlockable Chaos Emerald powers and co-op and competitive multiplayer modes.