Prior to the official unveiling of the Nintendo Switch 2 last month, I postulated on the strategies and movements which I believed the company should utilise in order to ensure their upcoming sequel console is just as if not even more successful than the 150+ million seller OG Switch from back in 2017. One of the most pivotal points in my opinion was the necessity for the Switch 2 to feature some sort of weird gimmick. Sure enough, cut to Nintendo’s – admittedly short – reveal trailer and we got our first taste for what the company is cooking.

While not outwardly stated, the teaser showed off what many believed to be a sort of hybrid mouse mode, taking the previous Switch’s split Joy-Con mode and reinventing it further into what I believe could be one of the most transformative ‘gimmicks’ the company has come up with over the decades. Whether it will resonate with tens of millions is yet to be seen, but in my opinion, this new mouse mode might just be exactly what I’ve dreamed of for many years now.

Growing up as a console player, I of course spent years completing all my games using a dedicated controller – be it a 3rd-person action-adventure title; a strategy puzzler or a first-person shooter. Using controllers just felt more natural to me. And so, when I switched over to PC gaming, my muscle memory from years of gamepad usage left me struggling with a majority of titles.

Can I play games using a mouse and keyboard? Of course, but it is far from my preferred method of control. While there is no denying that using a mouse and keyboard does have its own unique set of benefits, it also comes with a great deal of downsides. Unlike a traditional gamepad/controller, mouse and keyboard as a method of input is highly unoptimal.

First, on the keyboard front, having 100+ keys laid out in these equally-spaced and homogenised rows is far from utilitarian, with one needing to look no further than the WASD keys’ to identify the fact that keyboards were created and formatted for writing and navigation – with games then having to work around this in order to try and find a comfortable layout of usable keys.

Forget RSI from continuous use of a mouse, my entire left hand needs to be contorted and stretched in unnatural positions for possibly hours at a time in order to perform movements as simple as sprinting or sliding. Keyboards were not designed for this type of continuous multi-finger hyper-tapping. The invention of sticky keys and the doubling up of CTRL/Shift/Alt keys on both sides of the keyboard serve enough proof of this fact.

That’s not to say that over the decades PC games haven’t adapted to this system, with a majority of titles using similar layouts in order to make the overall experience more familiar from game-to-game – but to say that keyboards are a better designed product for playing video games is objectively false.

Of course, for some, a controller can feel like holding an alien remote, and I would never besmirch you for your personal proclivities when it comes to your preferred input method. However, for me, using a keyboard for gaming just doesn’t sit right with me.

The humble mouse on the other hand offers a much more compelling argument for its use when compared to controllers – leading me on a years long search for the perfect hybrid between the two types of peripherals.

This search sent me down a long and arduous path which ultimately ended in disappointment. One of the first methods I attempted was to hold a controller in my left hand and a mouse in my right. While this could be the best of both worlds in theory, the uneven weight of the full controller in my left hand did not make for a comfortable experience in the long-term.

Even if it did, only a handful of titles offer the ability to dynamically switch between the two peripherals – with even fewer allowing for simultaneous usage – and so I had to keep looking.

Next, I tried more gaming-focused keyboards such as the Razer Tartarus: a gamepad which purported to offer the control of a mouse and keyboard while removing all the dozens of unnecessary keys. While certainly an improvement, the keypad’s attempt at an analogue stick for movement left plenty to be desired, functioning more so as a multi-directional d-pad with a couple bonus inputs.

While I respect the peripheral and what it is attempting to do, for my purposes it fell just a bit short. Then came the Nintendo Switch.

Thanks to its hybrid nature and the invention of Joy-Cons, the OG switch in TV mode allowed for one of the first instances of split controller usage, letting you freely use one Joy-Con in each hand. While primarily a function of comfort, the potential for such a feature was notable, and while Nintendo themselves did little with it, I was hoping to see its implementation spread to other manufacturers.

Sure, we did get some controllers which could be split into two, but the concept wasn’t taken any further than this.

Cut to 2025 and the Switch 2 was officially announced. During the brief hardware tease, Nintendo showed off the refreshed Joy-Cons racing around a flat surface on their side.

Shortly thereafter, patents published by Nintendo were discovered, confirming the Switch 2’s new mouse mode – allowing you to control a character’s movement and more in the traditional way, while simultaneously turning the right Joy-Con into an optical mouse for added precision when aiming.

This alone would solve the issue I’ve been struggling with, however according to the patents, this new feature can go even further with the R1/R2 buttons serving as left and right mouse clicks while still giving you the option to use the right analogue whenever you wish; similar to using both a thumbstick and gyro aiming at the same time but with even greater precision.

Assuming this works as intended (and is as seamless as the last-gen split Joy-Con mode), Nintendo might very well have created the exact control method which I’ve been searching for. It’s just a shame that such a control scheme will be limited to the Switch 2 itself.

Until now I’ve failed to mention one of my biggest grievances with mouse and keyboard controls – that being the lack of any haptic feedback. While in no way necessary (and somewhat alleviated by a good set of headphones) the added tactility and response felt by tight haptic feedback when shooting, jumping or performing any other action – especially on the likes of the PS5’s DualSense controller – makes for an infinitely more satisfying experience in moment-to-moment gameplay.

Now I understand why you wouldn’t want to have your keyboard and mouse buzzing about with each button press (and peripherals which have tried to approximate this have struggled in the past), but with what will presumably be an upgraded form of their HD-Rumble included with these new Joy-Cons, I once again may be able to have the best of both worlds in this regard; offering tight yet prevalent haptics while still offering the many benefits of using a mouse.

You never know, the likely success of the Switch 2 could see PC accessory manufacturers revisit the concept, now that more game studios are likely to be conscious of implementing support for simultaneous multi-connectivity (and the fact that advanced haptics are more – well advanced – and cheaper to boot).

As mentioned, I previously wrote a KitGuru Games piece ahead of the official unveiling of the Switch 2, in which I discussed – among other things – what weird gimmick I would like to see Nintendo try out for the upcoming console. The two main off-the-dome ideas which I proposed was to see the return of glasses-free 3D screens / pressure sensitive screens.

I knew neither of these were going to happen (especially as they would only work with the Switch 2 in handheld mode), and while I would still totally love to see Nintendo give its 3DS gimmick another go at some point, I can’t deny that this mouse mode has me extremely intrigued and enticed.

Why did the console maker opt for this as their primary new gimmick? I honestly don’t know. It seems a bit too niche when compared to the company’s other grand swings which they’ve taken with previous systems. That being said, I could see a couple first-party Nintendo titles (such as Metroid 4) make use of this in a similar way to that of motion aiming – not for everyone, but a nice optional quality-of-life addition which will be welcomed by some.

So, while I don’t think this mouse mode will revolutionise the way games are designed, I do hope it sets a precedent for more developers to add dynamic controller support – and in tow see more hardware makers create hybrid controllers; ultimately creating a new loop of invention and reinvention which could very well eventually evolve the way we physically play games.

Discuss on our Facebook page HERE.

KitGuru says: Are you looking forward to Nintendo Switch 2’s new mouse mode? Could it be revolutionary if widely adopted? What’s your favourite new Switch 2 feature? Let us know your thoughts down below.

The post KitGuru Games: Switch 2’s Mouse Mode could Revolutionise Game Control first appeared on KitGuru.

2017’s NieR: Automata was a beautiful, evocative and highly fun game which introduced millions to the unique and bleak world of NieR. 8 years following its release (and 15 years since the first game), Square Enix has announced that they will be hosting an anniversary livestream this April.

Well in advance of its actual stream date, an upcoming livestream celebrating NieR’s 15th anniversary has been penned for the 19th of April, with the team writing (as translated by ResetEra user ‘Super’):

“This is a live broadcast of the ‘NieR’ series, which will celebrate its 15th anniversary in April 2025. We will deliver the latest information on events and merchandise planned to be held in commemoration of the 15th anniversary, along with talks from developers. We also plan to have a mini live performance during the program. We hope you enjoy it. The program is scheduled to last about 2 hours and 30 minutes.”

Despite first arriving 15 years ago, the series has so far only seen two mainline entries – those being the original NieR Replicant/Gestalt and the aforementioned Automata (as well as the mobile-only ‘Re[in]carnation'). That said, Automata in particular was huge for the series, alone having sold over 9 million copies.

Considering the fact that we’ve seen neither hide nor hair regarding a sequel, do not go into this livestream expecting an official announcement. More likely the stream will focus on interviews, panel discussions, answering questions and the like – with some new merch announcements or something on top.

That said, with Automata selling almost 10 million units pretty much as its own new IP (with very little carryover from the original NieR), it would make sense now more than ever for Square Enix and director Yoko Taro to finally announce a new title. We will have to wait and see.

Discuss on our Facebook page HERE.

KitGuru says: Are you looking forward to the livestream? What do you expect to be announced? Will we ever get a NieR 3? Let us know down below.

The post Square Enix announces 15th anniversary NieR livestream first appeared on KitGuru.

DOOM: The Dark Ages is one of the biggest Microsoft-published games set to release in 2025, with the id Software developed FPS once again seemingly reinventing what it means to be a DOOM game. Ahead of its 15th of May debut, the team have shared a ton of new details on what separates The Dark Ages from its predecessors.

In an interview conducted by EDGE Magazine (and collated by ResetEra user Rychu), the team at id Software offered a bunch of new details on DOOM: The Dark Ages’ many mechanics.

Regarding the new shield, the team confirmed that it can be thrown “in the style of Captain America” as well as functioning as a block of course. Beyond this, in a nice bit of attention to detail, when thrown, the shield will react differently depending on the surface – or enemy – it hits. Lastly, taking inspiration from God of War’s Leviathan Axe, the Shield in DOOM will be used for puzzles and exploration.

In terms of melee options, players will have 3 different weapons to choose from: The Gauntlet; Flail and Mace – all of which function differently and have their own benefits/drawbacks.

When it comes to level design, id Software have gone big with The Dark Ages, claiming it to feature the largest spaces in the franchise, serving more as sandboxes as opposed to linear paths. Interestingly, we actually got a description for how long each level will be, with these sandbox levels taking around 1 hour to complete if taking the main path (which can of course be lengthened through further exploration).

That said, the levels aren’t just giant squares, with the team confirming that they will be split into acts – with some starting off more linear only to then open up later on.

Further details on many of DOOM: The Dark Ages’ mechanics and features can be found HERE. Given the overwhelming success of 2016’s DOOM, it is both interesting and somewhat refreshing to see the team at id Software continue to evolve and add on to the DOOM formula in new and interesting ways. Hopefully the game resonates with long-time fans.

Discuss on our Facebook page HERE.

KitGuru says: Are you looking forward to DOOM: The Dark Ages? Which of the most recent titles had the best gameplay loop? Has the DOOM series innovated too much when it comes to this recent trilogy? Let us know down below.

The post A ton of new DOOM: The Dark Ages details have been revealed first appeared on KitGuru.

2025 is a busy year for Obsidian Entertainment, with the Microsoft-owned studio having just released their fantasy RPG Avowed – and The Outer Worlds 2 coming up later this year. Despite having quite a lot on their plate, the creative director for Avowed is hoping to support the series for years to come with expansions or even a sequel.

In an interview conducted by Bloomberg (paywalled), creative director ‘Carrie Patel’ spoke on the future of this series, saying:

“Now that we've built this wonderful world, and also built this team strength and muscle memory around the content and gameplay in this world, I'd love to see us do more with it.”

Avowed has seen a pretty positive reception from both critics and fans alike, with some of the main complaints being the world’s relative lack of reactivity in particular when it comes to the NPCs and some of its writing.

Both of these issues could easily be overcome with a sequel or even expansions, and so with Avowed having a solid core, it would make sense for Obsidian Entertainment to build upon it – assuming Microsoft are happy with the game’s sales/performance of course.

Discuss on our Facebook page HERE.

KitGuru says: Have you been playing Avowed? What do you think so far? Would you want to see an expansion/sequel released at some point? Let us know down below.

The post Avowed creative director hopes to work on a sequel/expansion next first appeared on KitGuru.

Back in late 2022, it was officially announced that a film adaptation based on the popular indie fighter/brawler SIFU was in development, being headed by the creator of the John Wick franchise. While we’ve heard little in the way of new information since, a new report has confirmed that SIFU will be distributed by Netflix – alongside additional details.

As reported by Deadline, Netflix has joined the film production of SIFU, serving as the funding machine/distributor for the adaptation. Interestingly, the set-up for its production has changed slightly since the initial announcement, with Derek Kolstad no longer helming the script – instead seeing T.S. Nowlin take charge of the writing.

For the uninitiated, Kolstad is the creator of the John Wick franchise and served as the writer for all 3 entries in the franchise. Nowlin on the other hand has a slightly less reputable past, having written the screenplays for the Maze Runner series as well as Pacific Rim Uprising.

That said, much of the team behind John Wick remains involved in SIFU, with series director Chad Stahelski and his company 87Eleven joining Story Kitchen as producers.

SIFU is known for its impactful and flashy combat, and so to have someone familiar with the genre working on the adaptation is encouraging (even if it is no longer Kolstad himself). It will be interesting to see whether SIFU’s more mystical elements (such as the game’s aging mechanic) will make it into the film. If nothing else, at least the action will hopefully look cool.

Discuss on our Facebook page HERE.

KitGuru says: What do you think of the recent updates for SIFU’s film adaptation? Are you disappointed by the change in writer? What is the most important aspect of this adaptation in your eyes? Let us know down below.

The post SIFU film adaptation is no longer being written by the John Wick creator first appeared on KitGuru.

Back in 2022, Funcom officially announced Dune: Awakening – an ambitious survival MMO set in the world created by Frank Herbert. Said to be coming some time in 2025, the team have now officially announced that Dune: Awakening is launching on PC on the 20th of May.

Making the announcement, the team at Funcom officially unveiled the release date for Dune: Awakening, saying “Your journey begins on May 20, 2025 on PC.”

Alongside this, players can also download a joint character creator / benchmarking tool right now to get their PCs ready for this Unreal Engine 5 developed open world – receiving a free Frameblade knife skin as a bonus.

While the game’s console release has yet to be determined, PC players will soon be able to pre-order Dune: Awakening for $49.99 (and will receive a pre-order bonus in the form of a free terrarium for your base).

Dune: Awakening looks like it has a great deal of potential, and so hopefully the game manages to be all that it is promised and more when it officially arrives on the 20th of March. We’ll have to wait and see whether the console release isn’t too far behind.

Discuss on our Facebook page HERE.

KitGuru says: Are you excited for the game? What are your grand plans for Arrakis? Let us know down below.

The post Dune: Awakening release date officially announced first appeared on KitGuru.

After months of continued success, NetEase made the odd decision to fire many of the developers working on Marvel Rivals, including the director for one of the game’s primary support studios. Following this, the publisher has now bragged that Marvel Rivals has reached a new milestone of over 40 million players.

As reported by industry analyst Daniel Ahmad, during the company’s most recent fiscal earnings report NetEase revealed that “Marvel Rivals has achieved 40 million players to date” – double that of the previously-announced user base.

While 40 million players would be something worth celebrating, this announcement comes at an unfortunate time with Marvel Rivals Director Thaddeus Sasser, level designer Jack Burrows and more confirming that they have been laid off.

Unwarranted firings aside, while 40 million players is a massive achievement for such a short amount of time (2 and a half months), it is far from the fastest-growing free-to-play title, with EA’s Apex Legends amassing over 50 million players in its first month.

It’s a shame to see what was a promising new free-to-play live-service title have its reputation stained by actions from those at the top of the corporate podium.

That said, it isn’t too surprising. Hopefully NetEase won’t reward its developers with another round of layoffs.

KitGuru says: Are you one of the 40 million players? Has the recent firings impacted your opinion on the game? Will NetEase address the layoffs? Let us know your thoughts down below.

The post Following layoffs, Marvel Rivals announces new record player count first appeared on KitGuru.

The Rogue Prince of Persia is a slick action-platformer rogue-like from one of the teams behind the equally as fun Dead Cells. Following its early access launch in May last year, the game received a bunch of updates with much more promised for 2025. Sure enough, the team have now released the latest major patch for The Rogue Prince of Persia, adding dozens of new skins, a full rework of progression and much more.

Making the announcement, the team at Evil Empire officially released the ‘Forgotten Skins’ update for The Rogue Prince of Persia, writing: “The team’s been cooking as always and is still on it. So let’s take a look!”

The full list of changes and additions can be found HERE, but some of the more notable patches include:

• 35 new skins (12 recolor, 14 new models, 1 old model and 8 from the Community Skin Contest)
• Overhauled XP system
• Reworked all skill trees
• New quests
• 2 new weapons and 1 new tool
• Refined level design
• Dozens of various fixes

Even at its initial Early Access launch, The Rogue Prince of Persia was a highly fun and replayable game, and so it is exciting to see the team continue to improve and refine the overall experience.

KitGuru says: What do you think of this update? Have you checked out The Rogue Prince of Persia? Will you be rocking the classic purple Prince skin? Let us know down below.

The post The Rogue Prince of Persia update brings new skins, progression overhaul and more first appeared on KitGuru.

Over the past few days, we have heard an increasing number of reports claiming that the iconic Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater series is set to return with the revival of the previously-cancelled THPS 3+4. In the wake of these leaks, Activision seems to have confirmed as much, teasing an upcoming Tony Hawk announcement as part of the latest update for Call of Duty: Black Ops 6.

Season 2 Reloaded for Black Ops 6 is now live, bringing a bunch of new content including weapons; game modes; multiplayer maps and more. One of the biggest additions is the return of the fan-favourite map Grind from Black Ops 2.

Set in a skate park, eagle-eyed fans have discovered a cool easter egg in the map which seems to hint at an upcoming showcase – with a sign reading “03.04.25” underneath the recognisable THPS logo.

For the uninitiated, we first heard word of a new Pro Skater game a couple days ago, when skater Tyshawn Jones claimed via a podcast that he’s going to be in the next Tony Hawk game which is set to release soon.

Following this, well known leaker eXtas1s corroborated these comments, revealing that the game in question is a remake of Pro Skater 3+4 and is planned to arrive this June.

Based on all this, it now seems clear that Activision/Microsoft is gearing up for an official announcement in March, followed by its launch just a couple months later in June.

While the surprise was somewhat spoiled, it is always cool to see such announcements being teased in other games ahead of time – adding to the overall hype and excitement. Hopefully Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3+4 winds up being as good as the first remake.

KitGuru says: Are you looking forward to this new entry in the series? What’s your favourite THPS game? Was this teaser always planned, or was it added as a result of the leaks? Let us know your thoughts down below.

The post Black Ops 6 update teases Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater first appeared on KitGuru.

As they have done for years now, each week a new game or two are given away for free via the Epic Games Store for all those with an EGS account. From today, users can get their hands on the cute indie RGP Garden Story as well as Saber Interactive’s World War Z: Aftermath.

Available to add to your library from today until the 27th of February at 4pm, this week’s free titles are being headlined by World War Z: Aftermath. While this has been given away on the Epic Store in the past, in case you missed it back then, this Saber Interactive-developed co-op shooter functions similarly to that of the iconic Left4Dead series but with a 3rd-person perspective.

As expected, the game throws massive swarms of zombies all clumped together at you with intent to kill. Featuring a number of different and unique classes, you and three other friends can buddy up and take on its co-op story driven campaigns which take you all across the world.

World War Z: Aftermath is the complete version of the game, and so if you aren’t one of the 15 million who've already experienced this title, now is as good a time as any.

Garden Story meanwhile is a cute indie RPG in which you must “unify a broken community as the newly-appointed Guardian of The Grove”. Think of it kind of like Stardew Valley except you play as a grape.

Both World War Z: Aftermath and Garden Story are available to claim from today at 4PM UK time.

KitGuru says: What do you think of this week’s offerings? Have you tried World War Z: Aftermath in the past? What’s your favourite fruit? Let us know down below.

The post World War Z: Aftermath is free on the Epic Games Store first appeared on KitGuru.

Just yesterday, we reported on the possibility of the Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater series returning, thanks to one professional skater who let slip that he is in an upcoming ‘remaster’ of the series. It seems as though this will indeed be the case, as following his claims leakers have now revealed that THPS 3+4 is set to be officially announced this June.

As reported by known industry insider eXtas1s, Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3+4 is planned to be shadow dropped by Microsoft during the company’s Xbox Games Showcase in June. According to the insider, this release will launch simultaneously on PC, Xbox and PlayStation 5 – marking another first-party Xbox title headed to PlayStation.

For the uninitiated, following the success of 2020’s Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1+2 (which went on to become the fastest-selling entry in the franchise), studio Vicarious Visions were working on a similar remake for the 3rd and 4th entries…until it was cancelled by Activision.

Given the fact that Vicarious Visions has since been absorbed and renamed to Blizzard Albany, it is unknown which studio has been tasked with this remake – though hopefully the Albany team were involved in some way.

As mentioned, just yesterday professional skater Tyshawn Jones revealed that “I’m in a Tony Hawk coming out, that’s cool. They got a new one they remastering so that’s about to come out, I was in the last one”. With collaborators and now leakers reporting on this remaster, it seems as though we might finally be getting the previously-ill-fated Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3+4.

KitGuru says: Are you excited for the return of THPS? Which game in the series is your all-time favourite? Which studio do you think is working on the remake? Let us know down below.

The post Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3+4 reportedly launching this June first appeared on KitGuru.

Each month, Sony updates its PlayStation Plus Extra/Premium libraries with a new line-up of titles. Similarly, every month a number of games are also removed from the service. With February’s line-up now available to claim, the console maker has revealed that 10 titles are set to leave the service in a month’s time.

In going to the PlayStation Plus tab on your PS5, you’ll find a list of 10 titles under the ‘Last Chance to Play’ section. Leaving the service at some point in March (likely around the 18th) are the following:

• Monster Energy Supercross – The Official Videogame 6
• Resident Evil 3 Remake
• DBZ Kakarot
• Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trilogy
• Jojo's Bizarre Adventure: All-Star Battle R
• Life is Strange True Colors
• Life is Strange 2 Complete Season
• Final Fantasy Type-O HD
• Street Fighter 5 Champion Edition
• Mortal Kombat 11

Fighting game fans might be disappointed to see 3 major titles leaving PS Plus, with Jojo's Bizarre Adventure: All-Star Battle R stinging particularly hard. In addition, it is interesting to see two Life is Strange titles being removed given the fact that the brand new Lost Records: Bloom and Rage has been added as a day-one release onto the service.

If you have not yet caught up with the Life is Strange series, you might want to give the two departing titles a go before they’re removed. Fortunately, both entries are relatively short affairs, and so you should have plenty of time to complete them.

In case you missed it, February’s PS Plus Extra/Premium titles are now available on the service, including the likes of Star Wars Jedi: Survivor; TopSpin 2K25 and Patapon 3. The full list can be found HERE.

KitGuru says: What do you think of February’s PS Plus additions? What about the games set to leave? Will you try to finish any of these games before they’re gone? Let us know down below.

The post 10 titles are leaving PlayStation Plus in March first appeared on KitGuru.

Back in May of last year, the team at Supergiant Games surprise-dropped the early access launch of Hades II. Since then, the game has seen one major content update alongside a bunch of smaller patches. Finally, Supergiant Games are back with Hades II’s 2nd major update – bringing new levels, gods, boons, revamped menus and a whole lot more.

Making the announcement, the team at Supergiant Games officially released and detailed their latest ‘Warsong Update’ writing:

“Our second Major Update has arrived, featuring the final confrontation of the surface route, one last Olympian and all his Boons, a new Animal Familiar to bond with, streamlined resource gathering, plenty of new music and artwork, and more! We're excited to know what you think, and will be monitoring feedback in the coming weeks to ensure these latest additions are working properly.”

The full list of patch notes can be found HERE, but some of the more interesting/notable changes include:

• More than 2,000 new voice lines and new events
• New final confrontation
• New Olymian (Ares) plus boons
• Revamped boons
• Revamped Altar of Ashes
• New and reworked keepsakes
• New enemies
• Revamped special encounters
• Much much more

In case you haven’t been keeping up with Hades II’s early access release, each major update has been huge for the game, not only in terms of new content, but how the currently available content is dished out and used.

Weapons and boons in particular have seen a great deal of changes over the months, and so it will be interesting to see how the Warsong Update switches up the gameplay formula. If you have yet to give Hades II a chance, now might be the best time to do so ahead of its full 1.0 release.

KitGuru says: What do you think of this update? Will you be heading back into Hades II? What’s been your favourite weapon to use thus far? Let us know down below.

The post Hades II gets second major patch with ‘Warsong Update’ first appeared on KitGuru.

HBO’s The Last of Us was a huge hit when it released back in early 2023, amassing 10s of millions of viewers and winning a ton of awards. Though it was known that Season 2 is planned to arrive sometime in April of 2025, we’ve now gotten a concrete premiere date.

Making the announcement with the release of 3 new character posters (alongside the tagine ‘Every Path Has A Price’) HBO has now confirmed that Season 2 of The Last of Us will premiere on the 13th of April – meaning it'll be here in under two months’ time.

The character posters released show Joel, Ellie and Abby walking down a path away from the camera while standing on items which are significant to each’s story (Joel’s broken watch; a guitar for Ellie and a Firefly pendant for Abby).

Whether for the right or wrong reasons, The Last of Us Part II was a highly controversial game when it released back in 2020, and so it will be both exciting and somewhat scary to see how HBO and Naughty Dog plan to adapt this narrative for the show.

That said, given just how excellently the team managed to translate the first game, HBO’s The Last of Us Season 2 is bound to be a gut-wrenching and highly evocative series when it premieres this April.

KitGuru says: Are you looking forward to Season 2? Do you think any changes will be made for the show? How do you think Season 2 will be formatted when compared to the game? Let us know down below.

The post HBO’s The Last of Us Season 2 gets official premiere date first appeared on KitGuru.

Following a string of less-than-stellar releases, the iconic Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater series was revitalised thanks to the excellent Pro Skater 1+2 Remake. Unfortunately, while a remake of THPS 3+4 was in development, the project was ultimately canned. That said, Pro Skater 3+4 might have some life left in it, as according to one professional skater, there’s a new Tony Hawk remaster “that's about to come out.”

In an interview conducted by the Breakfast Club podcast (and reported on by VGC), professional skater Tyshawn Jones seemingly let slip that a new Tony Hawks game is coming out soon, saying “I’m in a Tony Hawk coming out, that’s cool. They got a new one they remastering so that’s about to come out, I was in the last one.”

As stated by Jones, the skater did feature in the aforementioned Pro Skater 1+2 Remake, lending a great deal of credence to his words.

For the uninitiated, following the success of 2020’s Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1+2 (which went on to become the fastest-selling entry in the franchise), studio Vicarious Visions were working on a similar remake for the 3rd and 4th entries…until it was cancelled by Activision.

Given the fact that Vicarious Visions has since been absorbed into Blizzard, it is unknown which studio has been tasked with this remake. That said, with Microsoft having acquired Activision Blizzard in the years since, it’s possible that the team were later put back onto the THPS 3+4 project.

Regardless, it seems as though we won’t have to wait long to find out; if Jones’ word is anything to go by. As mentioned, while later Pro Skater entries failed to match the quality of the original games, having a remake of 3+4 should satisfy almost all fans of the series, assuming it’s as good as 1+2.

Discuss on our Facebook page HERE.

KitGuru says: What did you think of Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1+2? Were you disappointed by the cancellation of 3+4? What do you hope to see from this upcoming remake? Let us know down below.

The post Pro Skater claims new Tony Hawk Remaster is “about to come out” first appeared on KitGuru.

Twice a month, Microsoft updates its Xbox Game Pass library with a line-up of new/returning titles. For the second half of February, the service is launching one major title in the form of Obsidian Entertainment’s Avowed – alongside a couple other additions. Unfortunately, even more games are set to leave Game Pass at the end of the month.

Making the announcement on the Xbox Wire Blog, Megan Spurr – the Senior Community Lead for Xbox Game Pass – wrote “For those of you that have been exploring the Living Lands in Avowed, thank you for taking a break to check out the latest Game Pass news! We have some exciting new reveals and exclusive Perks to tease your install buttons.”

With that, the full list of Game Pass additions set to drop onto the service over the course of the remainder of February is as follows:

Available Now

• Avowed [GP Ultimate and PC]

Coming soon

• EA Sports F1 24 [GP Ultimate and PC] – 20th February
• Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader [GP Standard] – 20th February
• Watch Dogs: Legion [GP Standard] – 25th February

As mentioned, an even greater number of titles are unfortunately set to leave the service on the 28th of February, those being:

• F1 22
• Gris
• Maneater
• PAW Patrol World
• Space Engineers
• Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun
• Wo Long Fallen Dynasty
• Yakuza 3 Remastered
• Yakuza 4 Remastered

Discuss on our Facebook page HERE.

KitGuru says: Have you checked out Avowed yet? What do you think of it? Which of the departing games will you try to complete before the end of the month? Let us know down below.

The post Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty, Yakuza and more leaving Xbox Game Pass first appeared on KitGuru.

Nintendo’s Gold Points system was a nice way for players to get a bit of money back on games they bought, with Switch owners receiving Gold Points valued at 5% of a purchase’s value. While a small benefit, Gold Points were a nice feature to have – too nice it seems, as Nintendo has announced they'll be discontinuing the service next month.

Making the unfortunate announcement on their site, Nintendo officially confirmed the end of the Gold Points era, writing: “On March 25th, 2025, at 3:30PM AEDT / 5:30PM NZDT, the ability to earn Gold Points will end. Gold Points already earned can still be used on Nintendo eShop to receive a discount, even after this end date. We sincerely thank you for using the My Nintendo rewards program and apologise for any inconvenience.”

While the company did not offer any reasons for this, it seems quite clear that this change is due in part to the upcoming Switch 2 release.

Whether the successor console will include a revamped version of the Gold Points system is yet to be seen, but given the fact that Nintendo games sell in the millions consistently, that extra 5% could translate into a lot of spare change for the console maker – especially if Switch 2 games launch at £70.

Alongside this, the company also nerfed its Switch Game vouchers, confirming that they won’t be usable with Switch 2 games.

Again, whether this feature will return in a refreshed manner is yet to be seen, but if not, then Switch 2 owners could wind up paying quite a bit more for games over the course of the upcoming generation. We will have to wait and see.

Discuss on our Facebook page HERE.

KitGuru says: What do you think of these announcements? Will Nintendo introduce some new form of loyalty program? Let us know your thoughts down below.

The post My Nintendo Gold Points to be discontinued ahead of Switch 2 launch first appeared on KitGuru.

Marvel Rivals has been a huge hit since it launched back in December last year, with the free-to-play hero shooter amassing more than 20 million downloads in under two weeks and seeing a peak concurrent player count of almost 650,000 on Steam alone. Despite the game’s undeniable success, one of Marvel Rivals’ game directors has announced that he and others from his team have now been laid off.

Making the surprise announcement on LinkedIn, the Games director at Marvel Rivals' support studio Thaddeus Sasser wrote “This is such a weird industry…My stellar, talented team just helped deliver an incredibly successful new franchise in Marvel Rivals for NetEase Games…and were just laid off! Oh well! Times are tough all over – Let's find these incredible people new jobs, because we all need to eat, right? :D”

Alongside Sasser, Marvel Rivals level designer Jack Burrows confirmed this recent spree of firings, writing “Welp, just got laid off from my job working on Marvel Rivals with NetEase. Was an enormous pleasure to work with my American coworkers who join me in this sad culling. Just couldn't dodge that big boot I guess, no matter how big the success of the gig.”

Given the undeniable and rapid success of Marvel Rivals, this announcement comes as a huge surprise. Hopefully we learn more on exactly what went down sooner rather than later.

Regardless, it will be interesting to see how players respond to this latest move – and whether this marks the first major red stain on what was otherwise a highly-compelling and growing live-service shooter.

Discuss on our Facebook page HERE.

KitGuru says: What do you think of this firing? Does this reflect badly on Marvel Rivals / NetEase? Where do you hope to see Sasser and co. move to in the wake of all this? Let us know down below.

The post Marvel Rivals Director laid off following the game’s highly successful launch first appeared on KitGuru.

Nearly 30 years ago, CyberConnect2 was founded, and in the decades since the studio has brought us countless great and fun games across popular franchises including but not limited to Naruto; Dragon Ball; JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure and more. In celebration of the studio’s upcoming 30th birthday, CyberConnect2 has now launched a dedicated anniversary website sharing its fresh rebrand.

Making the announcement via this brand new website, the team at CyberConnect2 has begun its 30th birthday celebrations (ahead of the company’s actual anniversary on the 16th of February 2026.)

Giving fans a glimpse into their celebration plans, the company wrote “CyberConnect2 would like to take this opportunity to express their sincere gratitude to their fans across the world, clients, and friends who have made this possible. Embracing their 30th year, CyberConnect2 will revamp its corporate image and begin operation on a variety of celebratory projects as a way of relaying their thanks to all who supported them along this journey. Details and updates will be posted regularly on CyberConnect2’s special anniversary website.”

While we will likely see a bunch of more substantial news over the coming year, the studio did kick off this anniversary event by announcing its new studio rebrand. Alongside a more modernised/simplistic take on the previous company logo, they also unveiled a new slogan/mantra: “One Part Love, One Part Passion, All Entertainment” which is said to “[embrace] CyberConnect2’s company spirit and intention of connecting with their fans and bringing them joy through the entertainment the company provides.”

Last but not least, the studio also revealed their new mascot. Designed by studio artist Higashi, fans will be able to vote on what they wish for this new mascot to be named through the company’s Twitter page.

While this kickoff is lacking in any new game announcements, CyberConnect2 seems to have a whole suite of plans for the next 365 days – and so it will be interesting to see what else they have in store.

KitGuru says: Are you a fan of CyberConnect? What’s your favourite game by them? What would you call the new mascot if it were entirely up to you? Let us know down below.

The post CyberConnect2 begins its 30th anniversary celebrations plans first appeared on KitGuru.

While the initial trailer for the first Sonic the Hedgehog film introduced a hideous character redesign sparking a ton of backlash, the final product proved to be a major success for SEGA and Paramount Pictures – spawning two sequels in the years since. Finishing its cinematic run with almost half a billion in the bank, Paramount is now set to bring Sonic the Hedgehog 3 to digital platforms later today.

Set to drop onto the streaming service Paramount+ today, Sonic the Hedgehog 3 is the most recent (and successful) entry in this ongoing franchise, having brought in over $478 million though cinema screenings.

While fans eagerly await the 4th film (which was confirmed to be coming in March of 2027), Paramount is now bringing the 3rd entry to its streaming service – and will later be available through Amazon Prime Video sometime in May.

Each successive Sonic film has been bigger than the previous, with Sonic 1 bringing in $319 million at the time; Sonic 2 boosting this to $405 million – and as mentioned – Sonic 3 raking in just shy of $480 million.

Of course, this still pales in comparison to the highest-grossing film based on a video game, with Nintendo’s Super Mario Movie amassing a massive $1.36 Billion during its cinematic run.

Still, with the Sonic films continuing to see an increase in both critical and commercial reception, it will be interesting to see what SEGA and Paramount have planned for the aforementioned Sonic 4.

Discuss on our Facebook page HERE.

KitGuru says: What did you think of Sonic the Hedgehog 3? How much money do you reckon the 4th film will make? Which of the 3 films is your favourite? Let us know down below.

The post Sonic the Hedgehog 3 comes to streaming today first appeared on KitGuru.

Since their pivot to digital showcases, Sony has created two different and distinct online events – those being their State of Plays and the more substantial PlayStation Showcases. Despite the former typically featuring lower-stakes announcements, the console maker’s recent State of Play stream broke records with over 2 million concurrent viewers.

As reported by StreamCharts, Sony’s recent State of Play showcase (which took place on the 12th of February) saw a massive boost to its viewership counts when compared to prior similar showcases.

According to the publication, the 45 minute presentation saw a total average viewership of 1.8 million, with peak concurrent watchers surpassing 2.18 million – both of which were new records for its State of Plays.

Beyond this, other interesting stats include the fact that the SoP was co-streamed by over 1000 different channels for the first time, indicating an increase in awareness of the event across the board.

As mentioned, State of Plays typically feature smaller announcements when compared to the company’s grander PlayStation Showcases. That said, with State of Play quickly becoming a recognisable brand name similar to that of Nintendo Directs, it will be interesting to see whether the company winds up sticking with the branding for its upcoming Summer event – or if they will continue with their two-pronged approach.

Discuss on our Facebook page HERE.

KitGuru says: Did you catch the SoP when it was live? Do you prefer this branding, or PlayStation Showcases? Should the console maker keep both events separate? Let us know down below.

The post Sony’s recent PlayStation State of Play set new viewership records first appeared on KitGuru.

During the 1990s and early 2000s, instead of PlayStation, Nintendo and Xbox, the video games industry’s 3 console giants consisted of the aforementioned PlayStation and Nintendo – but also SEGA. Unfortunately, following the failure of the Dreamcast, the console maker would pivot to becoming a 3rd-party publisher. With Microsoft seemingly set to go a similar route, Xbox Head Phil Spencer has now directly addressed these comparisons.

In an interview conducted by XboxEra, Spencer was asked about Xbox’s current strategy of releasing an increasing number of its first-party titles onto competing platforms, and whether this will ultimately lead to a similar full 3rd-party shift like we saw with SEGA back in the 2000s.

In discussing this (and the 30% cut that Sony takes on all Microsoft games which do come to its platform), Spencer stated [as transcribed by ResetEra user ‘Super’]: “I would love to make all of the money for all of the games that we ship right, like obviously we make more on our own platform. It's one of the reasons that investing in our own platform is important. But there are people, whether it's their libraries on a PlayStation or Nintendo, whether it's they like the controller better, they just like the games that are there.”

He continued, “And I don't want to then look at that and say, well, there's no way that we should be able to build a business there, find fans of our franchises there. I'm not trying to move them all over to Xbox anymore. People were all so invested in where our games are. Let's just allow more people to play and yes, the 70% that we make on games on other platforms is helpful to us being able to build great portfolios like we showed at the Dev Direct and I hope this will continue to show through the rest of the year.”

Of course, regardless of whether the company was planning to leave the console hardware business or not, they would be unlikely to reveal such information until absolutely necessary.

Still, with Microsoft reportedly working on its next-gen console right now, it seems that Xbox as a hardware brand is here to stay – at least for the time being.

Discuss on our Facebook page HERE.

KitGuru says: What do you think of Phil’s response? Will Xbox eventually leave the console business? Let us know down below.

The post Xbox Head Phil Spencer responds to SEGA comparisons first appeared on KitGuru.

Dynasty Warriors has had its ups and downs over the series’ 25+ year history, with the franchise’s primary point of failure for the longest time being its rapid release cycles leading to undercooked experiences. Fortunately, following a lengthy hiatus, the series returned with the release of Dynasty Warriors: Origins – having now officially sold over 1 million copies in just under a month.

Taking to Twitter to make the announcement, the team at Koei Tecmo revealed that “DYNASTY WARRIORS: ORIGINS has achieved sales of over 1 million units worldwide! In addition, the total number of downloads on the demo version has now exceeded 2 million! Thank you for your continued support.”

As mentioned, while the Warriors series has been quite hit-or-miss for the longest time, the extra development given to Origins has resulted in a game which has not only sold well, but is currently the highest rated entry in the Dynasty Warriors series; holding a Metacritic score of 79 and a Steam rating of ‘very positive’.

Furthermore, Origins also saw its highest peak concurrent player count fall just shy of the number 1 spot for publisher Koei Tecmo with 69 thousand concurrents (only being beaten by Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty’s 75k).

Hopefully the success of Origins leads Koei Tecmo to further invest time and money into its IPs – as opposed to using its newfound popularity to cash-in on low-budget sequels/spin-offs.

Discuss on our Facebook page HERE.

KitGuru says: What do you think of Dynasty Warriors Origins? Is it the best entry in the series? Will Koei Tecmo take the right or wrong lessons from its success? Let us know your thoughts down below.

The post Dynasty Warriors: Origins sold 1 million copies in under a month first appeared on KitGuru.