Author: sick skills

Hello.

Okay, enough waffling, for goodness’ sake. This week saw the release of Pragmata from Capcom for the Switch 2, and though it should really come as no surprise, the action title is really darn good. We awarded it a score of 9/10.

We also received news that the Legend of Zelda movie has now officially wrapped filming, marking a significant milestone in its production. Fingers crossed it’s a good one. We also heard from Xbox’s creator Seamus Blackley regarding Project Helix, and how he firmly believes that whatever Nintendo is working on next is far more interesting.

In sadder news, Jock Blaney, the voice actor behind the voice of Star Fox 64 antagonist Wolf O’Donnell, has passed away. Many of you commented with some lovely sentiments, and he will no doubt be missed.

Gavin Lane, Editor

The more I hear about Pragmata, the more I need it. Capcom is on such a roll, and a satisfying 10-ish-hour jaunt to the Moon sounds like just the ticket.

However, it’s probably better to play one of the games I’ve got queued on the console already; I’ve just started Pentiment. What a gorgeous thing that is! Brilliant writing, exquisite execution and integration of the font mechanics, and just beautifully presented all-round. I’m only an hour in, but it’s one of those games I won’t be able to put aside until it’s dusted. HLTB puts it at roughly 15 hours, so I plan to get properly comfortable with that.

Gonçalo Lopes, Contributor

Putting my recent gaming PC upgrade to the test with some intense Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine II sessions (my Techmarine is level 22 of 25 at the time of writing). With Star Fox: Assault properly revisited, time to do the same for Star Fox 64. I’m also rather spoiled for choice on Switch 1 with the villains DLC for SHINOBI: Art of Vengeance and Raiden Fighters Remix Collection.

On Switch 2 and riding the wave of amazing Capcom offerings we got Pragmata’s moon mystery to solve and Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition, a game so nice I bought it not twice but thrice on tree different Nintendo console generations (and if the released this on Switch 3, I will buy it again!).

Game (system) of the week is the NEO GEO AES. You know, that one console none of us could afford back in the day. We all had that friend with the uncle who had one at home and he played on it all weekend… but he was lying. They were all lying! The fact that later this year we are having a brand new 1:1 Neo Geo AES on the market is mind blowing. I was planing on retiring from video gaming and stop buying new hardware… just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in! Will have to dedicate some of this weekend coming to a decision if I jump on this. I know most folks dismiss it as just a R-Type clone, but Pulstar is so, so good…

Jim Norman, Features Editor

What a surprise! What horror! Jim’s playing Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream this weekend! I love my silly little Miis and their silly little lives. I’m still yet to really see how big of an upgrade it is from my beloved 3DS version, but it’s still bringing me the biggest of smiles — hey, you can’t argue with that!

Ollie Reynolds, Reviews Editor

I definitely plan on giving Yooka-Replaylee another go now that the 60fps update is live. It’s a lovely game and the smooth performance is really the cherry on top.

Otherwise, I’m very much addicted to Guilty Gear -Strive- on the PS5 following the recent 2.0 update. I’d love to play some more Invincible Vs, but alas, the beta is over. Ollie sad.

Mai Ladyman, Video Producer

I’ve been playing a lot of different games lately so it’s likely I’ll just go back to a couple of this week’s favourites. I really loved Pragmata and having completed the game for the review, I plan on playing it again for some collection hunting and possibly challenging myself to a higher difficulty level.

I’ve also been playing more Tomodachi Life so I think I’ll slot in a play session during the weekend to create more Miis and finally decorate my island a bit more. Aside from those games, I’ve also dived head first into Little Big Workshop. I love management games and this quirky bite sized workshop game has been a nice break where I can switch off my brain.

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Those are our plans for the coming weekend. Now it’s your turn to tell us yours, so make sure to get busy with our poll, and let us know all about your weekend gaming plans in the comments!

Video game movies are all the rage nowadays, and it’s quickly led to Hollywood adapting every series it can get its hands on.

Now, to add to this, Paramount has officially confirmed during a presentation at CinemaCon that the “Call of Duty” movie will arrive in theatres on 30th June 2028.

Pete Berg will direct, with the script written by Taylor Sheridan. Here’s a bit more about what to expect from this film, according to Variety:

“Taylor and I are both deeply connected to the special ops community,” Berg said in a video message to the annual convention of movie theater owners. The “Deepwater Horizon” director said he and super-creator Sheridan are prioritizing authenticity among the group of elite soldiers “on a human level, but also bring amazing scale.”

No details about the plot or the film’s cast have been revealed at this early stage, but there’s a lot to live up to as it’s based on one of the biggest video game series of all time.

Paramount has previously had success with Sonic the Hedgehog‘s live-action movie adaptations, with a fourth chapter arriving next year.

Microsoft is now officially in control of Activision and Call of Duty, with the tech giant previously confirming the series would be returning to Nintendo’s platforms. Of course, we’re yet to see anything come of this deal.

Would you watch a Call of Duty movie? What other video game movies would you like to see? Let us know in the comments.

Ubisoft teased Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced in an official update last month, and the release date has now seemingly surfaced ahead of schedule.

According to a story by Insider Gaming Editor Tom Henderson, Resynced will be released on 9th July 2026.

Henderson further notes how the original reveal was planned for this week, but Ubisoft has delayed it until next week. Media and content creators have already reportedly received a “roughly 30-minute presentation” of the title.

While we won’t spoil what the game has in store, we can say it’s been completely reworked with a bunch of new content and updates, and honestly, it looks awesome. But one thing was made clear: despite the rumors and rumblings, Black Flag Resynced is not an RPG.

“This remains a solo adventure and character-driven experience. It is not an RPG,” the presentation revealed.

Ubisoft hasn’t revealed the platforms Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced is coming to at this stage, but it has shown strong support for the Switch 2 so far with titles such as Assassin’s Creed Shadows and Star Wars Outlaws.

In March, Ubisoft announced it would be winding down support for Assassin’s Creed Shadows, with its teams focus shifting towards what’s next for Assassin’s Creed.

When we hear more about this game, we’ll provide an update.

When Resident Evil Requiem arrived on Switch 2 in February, one thing we noticed missing was Mercenaries Mode.

The game director Koshi Nakanishi recently teased a minigame update for May, and ahead of this, a dataminer has made an interesting discovery.

‘MasyaSYRKOV’ on social media has been digging through Requiem’s game files and uncovered some music they believe could be linked to an extra mode, or possibly even Mercenaries:

“I was digging through Resident Evil Requiem files and found something that could be related to future extra mode / Mercenaries”

Track 4, which has been described as having a lot of “clock ticking”, has already convinced some fans that Mercenaries Mode is on the way. Of course, Capcom hasn’t revealed what exactly to expect from next month’s update just yet.

This recurring minigame in the series requires players to race against the clock as they fight waves of enemies and rack up a high score.

In March, Capcom released an update for Resident Evil Requiem adding a photo mode to the game. Apart from a minigame update, the director has also announced a story expansion, which will “delve deeper into the world of Requiem”.

Do you think we’ll see Mercenaries return? Have you played Requiem yet? Tell us in the comments.

Update [Sat 18th Apr 2026, 12:30am]: IO Interactive has now shared the official title sequence for 007 First Light, featuring the song “First Light” written and composed by Lana Del Rey and David Arnold.

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Original Story:

The talented American singer and songwriter Lana Del Rey has today released her theme song for 007 First Light.

As highlighted by Rolling Stone, First Light is a “grand and orchestral affair, embellished with motifs from the James Bond theme song”. The track has been composed and co-written by David Arnold, who has previously scored 007 movies such as Casino Royale and Tomorrow Never Dies.

David Arnold: “Having been part of that musical lineage, I understand how important it is to honor its heritage while allowing it to evolve. Lana brought an elegance and atmosphere to the song that felt perfectly suited to continuing that tradition while introducing something fresh for a new era.”

Lana Del Rey apparently wrote a song intended for Spectre, but it was British singer Sam Smith who went on to perform “Writing’s On The Wall” for this movie.

The theme song announcement follows news earlier this month that 007 First Light had been delayed for the Switch 2. Instead of launching on 27th May 2026 alongside other platforms, the Nintendo version is now scheduled for “later this summer”. Earlier this week, spoilers related to First Light also reportedly surfaced in a classification board leak.

Apart from Lana’s involvement in the theme song, the singer and musician Lenny Kravitz will appear in 007 First Light as a black-market dealer named Bawma.

So, what do you think of the theme song for 007 First Light? Let us know in the comments.

Following on from its launch late last year, Marvel Cosmic Invasion has today landed a sweet free demo on Switch 1 and 2.

You’ll find the demo on the eShop right now, letting you get a taste for the throwback fighter and all of its nostalgic charms. As a reminder, this is the latest beat ’em up from Tribute and Dotemu (the team that previously brought us Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge), so you know you’re in safe hands.

Naturally, the demo only gives you a taste of the full experience. If you like what you see, you can pick up the full game for £26.99 / $22.49 (note the discount in North America).

Despite some small issues, we had a great time with Cosmic Invasion on Switch last year, calling it “one of the best arcade Marvel games ever made” in our review.

Will you be checking out the Cosmic Invasion demo on Switch (2)? Let us know in the comments.

Sigono’s latest narrative adventure, OPUS: Prism Peak, arrived on Switch 1 and Switch 2 yesterday. And a quick look at the reviews show that this might just be one of the best games of 2026.

That should be no surprise to anyone who’s played any of the OPUS games, as these are beautifully written tales with an emotive core at the centre. And it sounds like Prism Peak continues that tradition. It’s currently sitting on 86 on Metacritic on PC with 15 reviews, and a staggering 91 on OpenCritic from 16 reviews, making it the highest-rated game of the year on the latter aggregate platform.

So, what exactly are people saying? Azario Lopez over at Noisy Pixel reflects on his own adulthood via Prism Peak’s protagonist and the in-game photography, praising everything about the visuals, mechanics, and story, The score? A 9.5/10:

“Through Eugene’s story, Sigono builds an adventure that feels personal in a way games rarely do, especially when it comes to adulthood and the quiet mess of trying to make sense of your past.”

Writing for CGMagazine, Hayes Madsen is equally emphatic about the emotional core, saying “it’s like taking the narrative-adventure style of Life is Strange and smashing it together with a Studio Ghibli or Mamoru Hosoda film.” He also awarded the game a 9.5/10:

“[Opus: Prism Peak is] one of the most remarkable games I’ve played in years, and the exact example of why this kind of narrative adventure experience continues to be something special in video games.”

And even though Checkpoint Gaming’s Hayley Louise scored the game slightly lower at 8/10, they still adore the narrative, music, and the presentation, with slight criticisms aimed and the camera mechanics. Though they do warn that this one’s a bit of a tearjerker:

“OPUS: Prism Peaks is a heartfelt journey about the human condition and the importance of friends and family. While this is a slower-paced experience, focused on imagery and storytelling, every aspect felt engaging and enjoyable.”

So it’s another winner for Sigono, and you can grab the game on the eShop right now.

It costs $24.99 in the US on both Switch 1 and 2, or £21.99 on Switch 2 and £22.09 on Switch 1 in the UK, but there’s currently a 10% launch discount until the end of the month. So snap it up now if you’re interested.

Are you playing Opus: Prism Peak on Switch 1 or 2 today? Share your thoughts on the game in the comments.

Boutique physical publisher Super Rare Games was revealed its first Switch 2 release: SoulGame Studio’s Minishoot’ Adventures.

This will be Super Rare’s first game for the platform since Switch 2 launched back in June 2025, and they’ll be offering two versions of the game: a Standard Edition for £38.50 (which includes a manual, slipcover, and sticker) and a Special Edition for £53.50 that adds a keychain, soundtrack CD, a clamshell box, and trading cards.

Pre-orders for game #01 in this new line go live next week on 23rd April, with estimated shipping in July. We’ve also confirmed that this Nintendo Switch 2 Edition will play on Switch 1, too, just like other NS2 Ed. physical releases.

Minishoot is great, as you’ll know if you read our Mini Review back in March – a twin-stick shooter with a Zelda flavour. “It just felt like a prime example of what we look for in a Super Rare release with the blend of nostalgia and modern indie design,” CEO George Perkins told us when asked what it was about this game in particular that made him go, ‘That’s it, that’s our first Switch 2 physical!’

“It takes that classic Zelda style formula and mixes it with bullet-hell and top-down shooter elements, all presented with modernised graphics. So for us, it really represents what a Super Rare game should be.”

In terms of quantity, SRG’s Switch 2 games will move to “limited quantities” after open pre-orders launch – essentially, they’ll be using early interest to gauge demand before locking in run numbers.

Looking at the industry landscape right now — specifically the difficulties around global distribution and rising costs over the last year or so — we wondered how Super Rare is coping. “We’ve been holding up really well,” George said, “we’ve had consistent year-on-year growth, even with everything happening globally. Each year has been bigger for us in terms of the volume, variety, and diversity of games we work on, as well as overall sales, which shows there’s still a strong demand for physical games.”

Has the firm had to make any changes to its approach to adapt? “Our direct to consumer model helps a lot, as we’re not relying on lots of third parties. Most of the adaptations we’ve made have been around distribution, especially with things like COVID and other global conflicts.”

One change with SRG’s Switch 2 line is that trading cards won’t be included in the Standard Editions, but will be an optional add-on (although all pre-orders before 30th April will also come with the trading cards in this instance). The company says they’ll continue putting out Switch 1 games as well, although they won’t be duplicating releases across the Nintendo platforms.

Naturally, we asked about the size of the Switch 2 cart they were using, although we weren’t able to get gigabyte confirmation besides the full game being on the cart “with no additional download required or game key cards.”

Given Super Rare’s history of Switch 1 releases, you’d assume that this is just the beginning. Do they have future S2 releases in the pipeline already, or are they on the lookout for the next game? “A bit of both,” says Perkins. “We’ve already signed a number of future projects, some of which are released and some unreleased, covering a diverse mixture of genres.”

With four or five S2 releases planned for this year, Perkins teases that “The next game release is expected to arrive faster than people might think…”

Head over to SRG’s website if you’re interested in their Switch 2 offerings, and let us know below if you’ll be picking up the physical version of Minishoot.

Twin Hearts is bringing back its adorable, anthropomorphic action RPG with a sequel, and the developer is teaming up with Secret Level Studio to bring it to PC and consoles, including Switch 2.

Kitaria Fables 2 was announced at yesterday’s Galaxies Spring Showcase, and it looks to expand on the already-lovely original, which we were fans of. A release date hasn’t been announced yet.

This time, you’ll be exploring the Arkadera wilderness, a forested area in the world of Kitaria. You’ll also be playing as new characters — Alice Skylar, a Royal Army ‘Pathfinder’, and Dusty Tuftkin, a local guide. Both characters play very differently, and you can play alone or co-op with a friend, both local and online.

While all of those hybrid farming elements and farm rebuilding sections return, the biggest changes in Kitaria Fables 2 are an unfixed camera, larger environments, experienced-based levelling system, and improved fast travel.

If the trailer has you hooked, then here are the details you need to know from publisher PQube:

Key Features

– Into the wilds – Explore the uncharted Arkadera wilderness and repair the outposts scattered across its deep forests, boggy marshes, rugged highlands and snow-capped mountains.

– New heroes rise – Play as Royal Army ‘Pathfinder’ Alice Skylar, and enthusiastic local guide Dusty Tuftkin, each with their own playstyle to enjoy, skill tree to develop, and story to share.

– Official business – Assist the Royal Academy Expedition Team while getting to know your neighbours. Complete fun side quests and seek out remote settlements to earn rare rewards.

– Spells and swords – Collect and spend skill points to unlock powerful special attacks and elemental spells. Unleash Alice’s and Dusty’s full potential with devastating ultimate abilities!

– Getting crafty – Gather valuable materials in the wilds, and visit Whitewall Town’s skilled artisans to craft and upgrade new equipment, blend potions, or rustle up delicious treats.

– The simple life – Help Aunt Kiki restore her dishevelled farmstead to its former glory. Search for rare plant seeds and cultivate nutritious crops before expanding your facilities to turn a profit.

– Play together – Recruit a friend in local or online co-op, and play through the entire story with both heroes at the same time. Work together with your partner to overcome the toughest challenges!

We’ll have to wait to hear more about the game, but more action RPGs on Switch 2 is a good thing, in our book. We’re already hopping up and down to give this one a go.

Don’t forget to check out our review of the original if you haven’t played it before — it’s worth checking out!

Are you excited for Kitaria Fables 2? Played the original? Let us know in the comments.

Those of you who’ve played (and beaten) Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter are likely scrambling to know what happens next in Estelle and Joshua’s journey. Luckily, we won’t have too long, as GungHo has announced that the sequel will be coming to Switch 1 and Switch 2 on 17th September 2026.

Yep, Trails in the Sky 2nd Chapter is coming very soon and, as a remake of The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky SC, fans will be extremely excited to see how this beloved entry makes the jump to modern consoles, especially given the extremely positive reception to 1st Chapter.

As you might imagine for a spoiler-filled sequel, the trailer up top doesn’t give much away. But be prepared for an emotional adventure as Estelle traverses Liberl to reunite with Joshua and discover the secrets behind the organisation of Ouroboros. Estelle will be joined by friends old and new alike, so expect more drama, tension, and action in this follow-up.

And, as Gematsu reports, Japanese pre-orders will include a digital copy of the original Trails in the Sky. This hasn’t been announced in the West yet, but it may prove tricky, as GungHo does not own the rights to the original English translation.

It’d be great to get the OG on Switch 1 & 2, but the remakes alone are more than enough for us.

Will you be joining Estelle for the continuation of her journey in 2nd Chapter? Sound your harmonica in the comments.