“In a decaying society, art, if it is truthful, must also reflect decay,” Austrian journalist and Marxist Ernst Fischer wrote in The Necessity of Art. “And unless it wants to break faith with its social function, art must show the world as changeable. And help to change it.” I can’t help but feel he’d very much appreciate Wreckfest 2‘s fourth early access update, which has added in a tool you can use to brush detailed rust, dirt, and dents onto the canvas of your old banger. Said tool has been given a suitably glorious name: CRAP-IT.
Fortnite developer Epic Games has issued a fresh user survey polling players over its pet-like Sidekicks — and in particular, the need to rebuy each creature to get another version, after your basic design choices are made permanent.
Currently, Fortnite forces fans to lock in their Sidekick’s body color, shape and style upon first use, and warns players that their decision cannot be changed again.
For now, just one Sidekick animal is available — banana dog hybrid Peels, which you get two of within Fortnite’s current The Simpsons battle pass. Upon first equipping the pooch, you must decide from three banana skin colors (yellow, yellow-green, or mottled), an ear shape (pointy, less pointy, flat) and a body style (slender, or thicc).
After this, each Sidekick also comes with its own mini battle pass of cosmetic add-ons (Peels has an emote where it dances with maracas, and also a couple of shirt options it can wear that can be equipped at will). But the creature’s base design choices are indeed no longer changeable, leaving players who want to try other body options seeking a separate Peels incarnation to change from the ground up.
Later this week, on November 7, a selection of additional Sidekicks will be available separately via the Fortnite in-game shop, with upcoming creatures set to include more dog breeds, a dinosaur, and even a Fishstick fish in a bubble. Each will cost either 1,200 or 1,500 V-Bucks (around $10-$14), and each is expected to offer numerous permanent cosmetic options fans will have to buy numerous versions of to own them all.
Amid the backlash to this decision, Epic Games has sent a fresh user survey sent to Fortnite players, including myself, that specifically asks for feedback on Sidekicks’ permanent customization mechanic — offering some fans a glimmer of hope that the whole thing is being reconsidered.
“How do you feel about the Sidekicks cosmetic?” asks one question. “Did you know that Sidekicks have basic features that you can only customize once upon claiming that Sidekick (e.g. its color and shape?” asks another. And then:
“How do you feel about having to purchase an additional copy of the same Sidekick if you want to customize your Sidekick with different basic features?” asks a third query, with various options to reply, from “strongly dislike” to “strongly like.”
Some fans have suggested Epic Games originally envisaged buying Sidekicks to be like adopting a creature from a pet shop — with a specific design you bond with over time (and as you unlock their battle pass). Others have also said that the pricing here, while steep, is little different to Fortnite’s also widely-disliked Kicks (digital shoes), which often cost upwards of 1,000 V-Bucks for licensed designs, and regularly require players to buy multiple copies to access different colors. (Around a dozen near-identical digital pairs of Crocs exist in the game, each of which must be bought separately.)
But others have compared Sidekicks to the highly customizable nature of many character skins — and indeed, the color options available to Fortnite’s more-basic Pets, which launched back during the game’s earlier years, and can be customized at will.
Certainly, it feels like the widespread response to Sidekicks’ design limitations has struck a chord. Far from a fun new cosmetic type — and one that could prove hugely lucrative, when licensed Sidekicks like Grogu and Stitch arrive — launching to positive sentiment, their soft-launch via Peels has only stirred up a backlash, with various reddit threads and social media posts now encouraging other players not to buy more when they do go on sale later this week.
Will Epic Games change course? Time will tell, though answers to that survey (and the sales from this week’s shop update) may play a part.
Tom Phillips is IGN’s News Editor. You can reach Tom at tom_phillips@ign.com or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social
Hibernian Workshop’s ace roguelike Astral Ascent has done a fair amount of growing since it first launched on Switch back in 2023. The release of the ver. 2.0 update and ‘Outer Reaches’ DLC mean the game is almost twice as big as it was to begin with, and it will soon be getting even bigger… and cuter.
That’s because the dev has revealed a new DLC, ‘Celestial Haven’, which will be coming to Steam later this month, with a Switch release following “shortly after”, and it is packed (we mean packed) with adorable little pets.
How 1000xResist’s Creators Brought it to Life on Xbox
Remy Siu, Creative Director at sunset visitor 斜陽過客
Summary
1000xResist is available today on Xbox Series X|S and Xbox on PC, as well as through Game Pass Premium, Game Pass Ultimate, and Game Pass on PC, and as an Xbox Play Anywhere title.
Creative Director Remy Siu discusses the inspirations and development process for this critically acclaimed narrative experience.
For the first time, the Xbox release adds haptic feedback.
When I was younger, I was completely immersed in point-and-click adventures and JRPGs — games that shaped how I think about storytelling, art, and emotional design. They left such a mark on me that I went on to study art and music, which eventually led to starting my own indie studio.
Now, we’re incredibly excited to bring 1000xResist to Xbox, complete with a new layer of haptic feedback that lets players feel the world through their fingertips.
How 1000xResist Began
When I first started prototyping 1000xResist, I leaned into narrative design because, honestly, that’s what I understood best. I wasn’t yet an experienced Unity programmer, and I couldn’t model 3D assets myself — but I loved story-driven adventure games. It made sense to build from what I knew and loved.
When we rebooted development and started fresh, we sat down as a team and said: “We’re making a narrative adventure game.” Our goal was to continue the lineage of Grim Fandango, Kentucky Route Zero, and Gone Home — narrative-driven experiences that center the player’s relationship to story, space, and performance.
Much has been written about “walking simulators,” and 1000xResist can certainly fit in that category. But from the beginning, we wanted to move away from reading journals or sifting through remnants of a world. Instead, we wanted the story to unfold around you and to you — to be something you inhabit, not something you discover after the fact. Along the way, the game evolved in unexpected directions. It became, accidentally, a survival horror, a time puzzler, a visual novel, a side-scroller — a hybrid of genres that all serve one purpose: to immerse the player in this strange, posthuman world.
Building the Story, One Chapter at a Time
Structuring 1000xResist was one of the hardest parts of development. We approached it almost like serialized storytelling — building one complete chapter before moving to the next. This method kept the narrative cohesive while letting us deeply explore each segment on its own terms.
Even though we never released it episodically, the process itself was invaluable. Games are embodied experiences; you can’t fully understand how a moment works until you play it. Developing sequentially gave us space to learn what the story needed as we went.
Bringing the Experience to Xbox
1000xResist is a sci-fi narrative thriller set in an uncertain future. A devastating disease spread by alien invaders has forced humanity underground. You play as Watcher, a devoted servant of the Allmother, until the day a revelation changes everything you thought you knew.
The game spans over 10 hours of story and includes more than 15,000 lines of fully voiced dialogue. For the Xbox release, we’ve added enhanced haptic feedback, allowing players to feel tension and impact through the controller — deepening immersion in every moment of the narrative.
Out Now
We’re thrilled to welcome new players to 1000xResist on Xbox, so they can sit back on their couch and play on the big screen. Whether this is your first time entering the Allmother’s world or you’re returning to uncover its secrets once more, we hope the story stays with you long after the credits roll.
1000xResist is available today on Xbox Series X|S and Xbox on PC, as well as through Game Pass Premium, Game Pass Ultimate, and Game Pass on PC, and as an Xbox Play Anywhere title.
The three-time IGF award-nominated 1000xRESIST is a thrilling sci-fi adventure. 1,000 years in the future, humanity is all but extinguished and a disease spread by an alien occupation keeps the survivors underground. You are Watcher. You dutifully fulfil your purpose in service of the ALLMOTHER, until the day you learn a shocking secret that changes everything.
THE END OF HUMANITY
In the near future we learn we are not alone in the universe. A mysterious alien race of giant entities arrives. We call them the Occupants.
They are not hostile, but it doesn’t matter. Their arrival is a death sentence. Humanity is wiped out in a matter of months, succumbing to a disease the Occupants have brought to our planet.
There is one survivor, a teenage girl called Iris. Somehow she is immune.
SOCIETY IS REBORN IN HER IMAGE
1,000 years later. Iris is not only immune but immortal. She has birthed a new society consisting exclusively of her own clones.
She calls them Sisters. They call her the ALLMOTHER.
Unlike the ALLMOTHER, the sisters are not immune. They must wear masks 24/7 to avoid breathing the diseased air even in the Orchard – an underground bunker where they live in constant fear of an Occupant attack.
The ALLMOTHER lives in her own compound on the front line of the war with the Occupants. All Sisters dream of one day being able to take the train and join her in the fight.
RELIVE HER MEMORIES
Within the Orchard, every sister has an assigned function, while six sisters have special roles to play…
Principal – Head of administration and oversight of the Orchard
Bang Bang Fire – Head of military
Knower – Head of knowledge preservation
Fixer – Head of engineering
Healer – Head of medical and cloning
And you – the new Watcher.
Your role is unique. You have the great privilege of reliving and interpreting the memories of the ALLMOTHER through a process known as Communion, made possible by Secretary, your floating AI companion.
As the game begins, you are excited to embark on your first Communion.
RESIST A THOUSAND YEAR OLD LIE
But all is not well.
Your closest sister, Fixer, comes to you with a dangerous revelation. You have been lied to. The ALLMOTHER is not what she claims to be.
Fixer’s claims rock the foundations of your world, throwing everything you know and believe into doubt.
After Fixer is executed for her treason, it falls to you to discover the truth.
DISCOVER THE TRUTH
Dive into the memories of the ALLMOTHER.
Explore pivotal moments in her life from high school days and the arrival of the Occupants to the creation of the Orchard and the birth of the first sisters.
Jump back and forth through moments in time within these memories to solve puzzles and access locked off areas and secrets.
In between Communions, explore the Orchard – a large underground hub area which houses you and your sisters, has many characters to speak to, and holds many things to uncover.
Find the truth and reclaim your legacy.
A STORY LIKE NO OTHER
Experience perspective shifts both literal and metaphorical as the game blends between 3rd person adventure, visual novel and first person walking simulator while throwing twists, turns and revelations at you until you question everything you think you know.
Born from an eclectic set of inspirations, including the games of Yoko Taro (NieR:Automata), the anime of Satoshi Kon (Perfect Blue) and Naoko Yamada (A Silent Voice), and even the theatre of Robert Wilson (Einstein on the Beach), 1000xRESIST tells a story in ways only a game can while simultaneously bringing fresh ideas to interactive storytelling from theatre, dance, performance art, and cinema.
FULLY VOICED
Enjoy more than 10 hours of playtime brought to life with over 15,000 lines of fully voiced dialogue from a brilliant cast of Asian-Canadian actors and an incredible soundtrack from two composers.
Microsoft has announced the Xbox Game Pass November 2025 Wave 1 lineup of games, headlined by Call of Duty: Black Ops 7.
As a Microsoft-owned video game, Black Ops 7 launches straight into Game Pass day one when it comes out on November 14. That’s across cloud, console, and PC for Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass subscribers only.
But there are a number of games hitting Game Pass before Treyarch and Raven’s first-person shooter arrives. On November 5, Dead Static Drive (Cloud, Console, and PC) arrives on Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass as another day one release.
As per Xbox Wire, Dead Static Drive is “Grand Theft Cthulhu.” “An indie survival-horror game following a nightmarish road trip across a 1980s Americana, Dead Static Drive blends weird fiction and uncanny Eldritch themes with a spooky unease underlying this small-town life,” Microsoft said.
Also on November 5 is Rebellion’s Sniper Elite: Resistance (Cloud, Console, and PC) on Game Pass Premium. Here’s the official blurb:
Offering unparalleled sniping mechanics, stealth and tactical third-person combat, Sniper Elite: Resistance turns the attention of the award-winning series towards a hidden war, far from the front lines, deep within the heart of occupied France. Bring a friend – the full campaign can be experienced in co-op.
On November 6, Egging On (Cloud, PC, and Xbox Series X|S) hits Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass as a day one launch. The day one launches continue with Whiskerwood (PC), also on November 6, for Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass. Moving on, November 7 sees Voidtrain (Cloud, PC, and Xbox Series X|S) launch across Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass, and Game Pass Premium. November 11 sees Great God Grove (Cloud, PC, and Xbox Series X|S) across Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass, and Game Pass Premium. Also on November 11, Lara Croft and the Temple of Osiris (Cloud, Console, and PC) hits Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass, and Game Pass Premium. And, on November 11, Pigeon Simulator (Cloud, PC, and Xbox Series X|S) is a day one launch on Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass.
November 12 sees Relic Hunters Legend (Cloud, Console, and PC) on Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass, and Game Pass Premium. Also on November 12 is the day one release of Winter Burrow (Cloud, Console, and PC) on Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass. And of course, Wave 1 ends with the big one: Black Ops 7 on November 14.
Xbox Game Pass November 2025 Wave 1 lineup:
Dead Static Drive (Cloud, Console, and PC) – November 5 Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass
Blacksmith Master (Game Preview) (Cloud, Console, and PC)
Football Manager 2024 (PC)
Football Manager 2024 Console Edition (Cloud, Console, and PC)
Frostpunk (Cloud, Console, and PC)
Spirittea (Cloud, Console, and PC)
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 Heart of Chernobyl (Cloud, Console, and PC)
Wesley is Director, News at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.
Ten hours into Arc Raiders, I felt betrayal’s sharp sting for the first time.
The round began with generosity. I met a fellow raider who had dropped me a rare shotgun as well as a damaged heat sink to upgrade my workbench. They asked nothing in return. It was one of many friendly encounters I’ve had roaming the surface of Arc Raiders’ hostile maps, but I also felt my heart rate rise: when you die you lose everything you’re carrying, so I knew I had to reach an extraction point quickly and quietly.
On the way, I met another player. We exchanged “don’t shoot” emotes followed by our actual voices on proximity chat, agreeing to cover each other until the exit. I even dropped him some bandages.
Road-Side Shawarma has released its first code, giving you a free revive just in case you ignored the rules for surviving each night.
This horror Roblox experience sees you join the kitchen at a popular shawarma spot, where you’ll work through three night shifts. If you follow the rules set by the mysterious stranger on the phone, keep your serving station restocked, and fulfill each customer’s order, you should survive until the end. But if you do get tempted to look up when the ceiling starts leaking, then this Road-Side Shawarma code for a free revive will help you out.
Working Road-Side Shawarma Codes
The following codes have been tested and can be redeemed:
SHAWARMATHEBEST – 1x Revive
How to Use Road-Side Shawarma Codes
Launch Road-Side Shawarma on Roblox and then follow these steps to redeem codes:
In the waiting lobby, click on the icon that looks like a bird on the left of the screen
Copy the code from this article
Press Redeem and brave your shift!
Expired Road-Side Shawarma Codes
Road-Side Shawarma has just launched codes, so there are currently no expired codes. Make the most of the ones available and redeem them before they disappear.
Why Isn’t My Road-Side Shawarma Code Working?
Codes for Roblox experiences are usually case-sensitive, so the best way to ensure you’ve got a working code is to directly copy it from this article. We check all codes before we upload them, so you can guarantee they’re working. Just double-check that you haven’t copied over an extra space!
When Is the Next Road-Side Shawarma Update?
Road-Side Shawarma has just extended their previous update, which was the Halloween event. This will run until November 9th, 2025, and has introduced new monsters you can encounter while serving up shawarma. You’ve got until November 9th to participate and earn yourself a special badge.
Lauren Harper is an Associate Guides Editor. She loves a variety of games but is especially fond of puzzles, horrors, and point-and-click adventures.
In the autumn honors list, the Japanese government has given Dragon Quest creator Yuji Horii the Order of the Rising Sun. This is one of the highest awards the government of Japan can bestow on citizens. It is awarded to those who have made significant contributions in their field, and Horii is the first game creator to receive it.
“I think it’s a great honor, I’m surprised.” Horii responded in a video interview with TBS. “I’ve been making games for quite a long time now, about 40 years, but I didn’t do it alone. It’s all thanks to the staff who helped create the games alongside me, and to all the players who have continuously supported us.”
Yuji Horii’s first game was 1983’s Love Match Tennis, which he entered into a game contest where it caught the attention of Enix. This was followed by the genre-defining visual novel mystery The Portopia Serial Murder Case. He would become most famous for his work on the game design and scenario for Enix’s long-running Dragon Quest series (1986-present).
Square Enix’s recent 2D-HD remakes of Dragon Quest I, II and III have bought new attention to the RPG series’ origins. Horii is currently still hard at work on Dragon Quest XII: The Flames of Fate, the much-awaited next game, which was announced back in 2021 during the 35th anniversary celebrations.
In the TBS interview, Horii also offered words of encouragement to future creators: “It’s important to actually create something tangible, don’t just think about it,” he advised. “Just try making it.”
The Order of the Rising Sun currently has six classes. As reported by nippon.com, Yuji Horii received the 4th class honors: Gold Rays with Rosette. Among the others to receive this particular award in 2025 was Devilman and Cutie Honey manga artist Go Nagai.
Photo by TOSHIFUMI KITAMURA/AFP via Getty Images.
Verity Townsend is a Japan-based freelance writer who previously served as editor, contributor and translator for the game news site Automaton West. She has also written about Japanese culture and movies for various publications.
The servers of shooterArc Raiders had a bit of a “wobble” on Sunday, as many would-be raiders of the arc queued up to get in. Developers Embark have now decided to offer those affected by the outage some free in-game as a make good for said server swoonage.
The wobble came on November 2nd, as the game was hovering around the 300 to 330k concurrent player mark. It’s left a brief, but unmistakeable dip in the SteamDB graph. Think one of those heart machines having a quick blip before regular beats resume.
Indeed, while we heaped praise on the game for its excellent interactive documentary and wide selection of games in our 7/10 review, we noted that the online functionality is simply not up to scratch at the moment. Additionally, an issue in which lowering the in-game difficulty setting doesn’t provide adequate respite for players struggling against the AI has also been acknowledged by developer Digital Eclipse.
