If we're plotting out the year based on unexpected obsessions, mine were (in no particular order) weird Italian genre cinema of the 60s and 70s, an unhealthy appetite for unnecessarily elaborate physical media collector's editions, folk horror in literally any form I could consume, and, apparently, No Man's Sky. According to Steam's usual end-of-year thing, the exploratory space sim is by far my most played game of 2025, accounting for - somewhat incredibly - nearly 20 percent of my total playtime.

Read more

Tencent has agreed to halt all promotion and public testing of Light of Motiram - the post-apocalyptic open-world survival game Sony previously accused of being a "slavish clone" of PlayStation's Horizon series in a lawsuit - as the two companies battle it out in court.

Read more

Saturnalia developer Santa Ragione's first-person narrative horror Horses has received a last-minute ban from the Epic Games Store. Epic was one of several storefronts confirmed to have approved a build for release when news of Horses' ban from Steam emerged, but it has now reversed its decision, citing what Santa Ragione calls "broad and demonstrably incorrect claims".

Read more

Well-received horror game No Players Online has returned to Steam after nearly three weeks of unavailability, which its developer Beeswax Games has blamed on an "unfounded" DMCA takedown notice filed by a "former friend".

Read more

One thing that's probably got a bit lost in all the controversy preceding Horses' release is the fact it's surprisingly funny. Its humour is pitch black, yes, and its comedic moments often dance on a knife's edge between laughter and revulsion, but writer and director Andrea Lucco Borlera's first-person narrative horror - his debut game, created in close collaboration with Saturnalia developer Santa Ragione - is a fascinatingly singular vision. It's singular enough, in fact, that it's not an easy thing to effectively describe, but if you can imagine a sort of thematic reinterpretation of Animal Farm by way of Pier Paolo Pasolini's Salo on one side, and a meme-able Garry's Mod video on the other, then Horses gleefully oscillates between them, landing somewhere in the middle.

Read more

Hideo Kojima is certainly a busy guy. Death Stranding 2 might be out the way, but the famed game designer still has his plate full with Xbox horror OD, and beyond that, Metal Gear spiritual successor Physint. Then there's his spirited social media presence, his regular phone calls with Geoff Keighley, and now it, turns out, a swerve into Disney voice acting as he takes on the role of a mole.

Read more

Remakes, you either love 'em or hate 'em! Or, more probably, you like some of 'em, aren't too keen on others, and are largely ambivalent to the rest. Whatever your perspective, it's obvious remakes - beloved of risk-averse publishers across the industry - aren't going anywhere. They offer the perfect maelstrom of nostalgia bait and brand recognition, meaning they're an easier sell compared to entirely new games, and if players love them, why stop now? But not all remakes are created equally; for every Resident Evil 2 or Silent Hill 2, there's an XIII - a remake so bad its publisher was forced to remake it. Which raises the question - you might call it the Big Question - what makes a remake great?

Read more

I realise I'm probably in the minority here, but I don't love Bluepoint's approach to remakes. Sure, they're pretty, they're technically accomplished, and mechanically faithful to the originals, but the studio's artistic liberties too often rankle. I admit I'm a purist and grumpy old man in the making who hates change, but I still think remakes should, fundamentally, play within the boundaries of the original's creative vision. A colour palette shift - swapping the bleached-out ethereal hues of Shadow of the Colossus on PS2 for a more natural lighting, say - might add a bit of beautification, but it can radically alter the intended tone. More egregiously, Bluepoint's decision to redesign chunks of Demon's Souls using a completely different architectural style isn't just an artistic choice, it has significant ramifications for world-building.

Read more

It's hard to believe it's been over five years since Ubisoft unveiled its troubled - and much-delayed - Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time remake, but we're now one step closer to an actual release date, with Ubisoft's latest financial results narrowing its launch down to "Q4" of its current financial year.

Read more

It's all go in the foggy world of Silent Hill. Following yesterday's surprise Australian launch, last year's stupendous Silent Hill 2 remake is finally available on Xbox Series X/S worldwide - and Christophe Gans' upcoming movie adaptation has received a new trailer too.

Read more

Tarsier, the studio behind the much-loved Little Nightmares 1 & 2, has announced a 13th February release date for its brand-new horror adventure Reanimal. And if you need a little something to keep the impatience for its arrival at bay, a demo is available from today on Xbox Series X/S and PS5.

Read more

Cast your mind back to 2023 and you might recall a lot of PC players getting very excited about a bearded fellow named Dave and his adventures deep below the waves. Well, following Dave the Diver's steady arrival on other platforms, it's finally Xbox's turn; the peculiar exploration and bar management hybrid hits Xbox Series X/S today, and there's also confirmation Dave's long-promised Into the Jungle DLC arrives "early" next year.

Read more

We already knew the Xbox Series X/S version of last year's stupendous Silent Hill 2 remake was likely imminent thanks to recent ratings board sightings, but it turns out the wait is already over - for Australian players at least. It's available to download right now via the Australian Xbox Store, suggesting a global launch announcement will feature during tonight's Xbox showcase.

Read more

It's been so long since dino-survival sequel Ark 2 was unveiled, its preposterous Vin Diesel-starring CGI trailer almost feels like a dream. But developer Studio Wildcard remains adamant it's still happening, and it's paving the way for its arrival with a brand-new Ark: Survival Ascended expansion, Ark: Lost Colony, launching on 16th December.

Read more

Oscar-winning animator and director Alberto Mielgo has hit back at accusations his cinematic short for Bungie's Marathon is AI-generated, insisting the production is "not AI", and was in fact the result of "155 incredible people and hell of hours, days, [and] months" of time.

Read more

Turnips! Everywhere! As far as the eye can see! Well, not quite, but The Séance of Blake Manor certainly has a lot of them. This might seem like a strange place to start when talking about developer Spooky Doorway's brilliant new supernatural detective mystery, but it actually says quite a lot about what makes it so good. Here, a fun historical footnote - that jack-o'-lanterns were originally carved from turnips - is turned into a feature, as glowering turnip faces leer from shadowy corners and sit in ghoulish formation along the sweep of an imposing staircase. In the grand scheme of things, a minor detail - but it's also one that lends this spooky deductive yarn an air of historical authenticity that sells its supernatural premise so much harder.

Read more

Amid Nintendo's ongoing patent infringement lawsuit against Palworld, the company's initial efforts to patent a variety of Pokémon-style monster capture and throwing mechanics in Japan have been rejected.

Read more