As The Sims Project Rene switches to being “mobile-first,” EA vaguely tease the series’ “next evolution”

I think as long as you make a new year’s update post before the incredibly arbitrary date of January 13th, you’re still able to do so without me thinking “come on, it’s almost February”, which is exactly what EA did with their new years Sims update post. Perhaps reassuringly, after word came last year of EA’s concerning acquisition, the post opens by doubling down on what the team has previously said regarding staying committed to their values (those values including inclusivity is welcome though I wish they’d be more explicit about who is being included). But the post also, sort of, goes into what’s next for the series.

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Pilot a big ol’ fort with steampunky legs in the deserty extraction shooter Sand: Raiders of Sophie when it launches in March

Hear ye, hear ye, another extraction shooter is almost upon us, this time the smaller but still quite bold in scope Sand: Raiders of Sophie. Last time I personally heard of this game it was just called Sand, which doesn’t sound great for that whole search engine thing, though I’m not entirely convinced by the subtitle. Anyway, this extraction shooter is set in an alternate 1910 where you get to roam the desert in a steampunky fortress with legs, and it’s got a release month!

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Opinion: The Nintendo Console Nobody Wanted To Review Returns Soon, And I’m Here For It, Again

The crimson comeback.

As someone who witnessed its initial release, I’m delightfully baffled that Nintendo is resurrecting the Virtual Boy. We aren’t just getting a passing mention or a trophy in a Smash Bros. game; we’re getting a full-blown revival, including a dedicated NSO app, a $100 authentic replica peripheral, and a $25 cardboard cutout for the Labo diehards.

All this for the console that married Game Boy visuals with Vectrex-style wireframes, stuffed them into a View-Master shell, and doused the whole package in a colour palette straight out of a 19th-century darkroom.

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Silent Hill f writer Ryukishi07 explains how the cultish town isn’t just a place now, but a “phenomenon”

Last year, after a bit of a wait, Silent Hill was released, and with it came some changes to the series. The combat was a lot more actiony, the format for multiple endings was drastically different, but the most obvious change was its setting. We’re not in Silent Hill anymore, Toto! We’re in Ebisugaoka, Japan, also a fictional town, though clearly not a fictional country. And that’s because Silent Hill, the place, is now also Silent Hill, the “phenomenon.”

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Review: Fire Emblem: Path Of Radiance (GameCube) – Aged & Easier Than You’re Used To, But Still A Winner

The path to a radiant dawn awaits.

Did you know that the Japanese version of Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance has a ‘Maniac’ difficulty mode? You did? And did you know that this mode sort of fixes my biggest problem with the game? You did? Can I do the review anyway? Thanks.

Jumping back into Path of Radiance, the first home console FE, for the first time since all the way back at Christmas 2005 (I got Goblet of Fire underwear, thanks for asking), my one complaint from 20 years ago remains an issue: it’s all a little bit too easy, most especially if you’re a big fan who’s been hoovering up the newer stuff and becoming a strategy master in the meantime. Veterans may find even the toughest of the three available difficulty options — appropriately titled ‘Difficult’ — too sedate for their tastes.

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Rumours Of “Surprise” Witcher 3 Expansion Intensify

Geralt might be returning sooner than you think.

There are currently multiple Witcher projects in development and it seems one of them might be new content for Geralt’s third outing.

Over the past week, a rumour about The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt getting a “surprise” DLC expansion popped up online after Polish Noble Securities analyst Mateusz Chrzanowski mentioned how he was expecting a “paid add-on” for the game to be released as early as March 2026.

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Level-5 Teases More Updates For Inazuma Eleven And Fantasy Life i, Coming Soon

“Look forward to it!”.

As the new year gets underway, Level-5’s CEO Akihiro Hino has teased some of the company’s plans for the earlier months of 2026.

Fans of both Inazuma Eleven: Victory Road and Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time can apparently look forward to “free major updates” this month and next. There are no specific release dates just yet, but here’s a rough translation (via RPG Site):

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Pokémon Developer Game Freak To Reveal More About ‘Beast Of Reincarnation’ Later This Month

Xbox’s upcoming showcase will visit the “legendary” team.

The Pokémon developer Game Freak recently released the DLC Mega Dimension, so what’s it up to beyond this? In case you missed it when it was revealed last year, the studio has a new action RPG Beast of Reincarnation in the pipeline.

In an update this week, it’s now been revealed we’ll be hearing more about it at Xbox’s upcoming Developer Direct showcase, taking place later this month on 22nd January 2026. This latest broadcast from Xbox promises to give fans an “inside look at not just the games” but also “the studios working to bring them to life”.

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Nintendo Denies Using AI Images In New ‘My Mario’ Marketing

Update: Nintendo responds after fans accuse company.

Yesterday, Nintendo announced that it would be bringing its ‘My Mario’ collection to the West next month. It launched a cute new marketing campaign showing happy parents and young children putting the products to the test, but the images quickly set AI alarm bells ringing for many on social media (thanks for the heads up, The Gamer).

You see, in a lot of the promotional images, commenters online thought that the fingers just don’t add up. One model’s thumb appears bent back to an impossible angle, while another hand holding up a toddler has been criticised for its finger length and placement.

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