Recent shadowdrop release Super Bomberman Collection brings back some classic Bomberman games, some for the first time outside Japan, and we’re happy to see it! But if we’ve learned anything from modern retro compilations, the quality is extremely dependent on execution. So how does this one do?

The package contains the five Super Bomberman games, all originally released on the Super NES and Super Famicom, as well as two bonus Famicom games. The later Super titles didn’t originally release outside Japan and have received localizations here, which is a nice touch! Frankly, though, these are fairly language-agnostic games and you probably would have been fine.

Putting these five games together in one collection might feel a bit redundant! And it is, to a degree. The advantage is in two ways. The first? Historical value. The game makes it easy to look at what power-ups are added in each one, and preserving all five is good regardless. The second is that you can choose your favorite variant. Each of these changes does color the experience, and through either taste or nostalgia, you’ll likely have a favorite.

If you’re having trouble deciding, though? We’d recommend going straight to 5. It has almost all the things from the other games, and there are options to configure it however! And as such a late Super Famicom game that other staff at Hudson were probably already working on Mario Party during development, it really takes advantage of the hardware. If it drops the ball on anything? Maybe it’s aesthetics. It’s trying really hard to do a robot/sentai thing in a way that a lot of the selectable characters feel same-y.

It’s also true that each of these games has a solo campaign. The franchise’s bread and butter is its competitive play, but there’s a dedicated group of people who really embrace the single-player arcade levels. And these are good ones! We’ve spent a while playing, and we are undeniably bad at them but there’s a puzzly element to taking on risky opponents in an optimal order.

When it comes to gallery modes in retro compilations, our usual stance is that it’s a great effort of preservation! But we don’t spend a lot of time with that stuff. Super Bomberman Collection’s “unbox” mode feels a lot more robust, though. With the detail and ability to virtually open the box and pull out the manual, it captures a bit more of the nostalgia of the originals.

While it doesn’t have built-in functionality for this sort of thing, Super Bomberman Collection takes advantage of system-level multiplayer features like Switch 2’s GameShare and Steam’s Remote Play Together. How well does it work? Better than you’d think! We spent our time testing it out on Switch 2, and didn’t experience any of the frequent connection issues we usually get. What’s more, it’s the sort of game that can weather some minor hiccups if you get them, and it also doesn’t look too bad in the windowed GameShare screen.

Super Bomberman Collection, developed by Red Art Games and published by Konami, is out now on Switch 2, Switch, PS5, Xbox Series and Steam. Physical editions of the game will launch on August 25, 2026.

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When I first played Starsand Island, it was early in development, not all the different types of professions were ready, and the build felt like a work in progress. Now that the game is properly in early access, it feels far more cohesive. Yes, not everything is there yet and I can’t live my virtual life to the fullest. Some balancing definitely needs to be done. But it does feel more pulled together and ready to go than it originally did. 

As a quick refresher, Starsand Island is about moving to a rural community your character is already loosely connected to in order to start a new life. Previously, they’d only visited due to their grandpa living there. Now they inherited the home and, after a friend named Solara helps them settle in, they work on becoming part of the community.

The biggest change I noticed between my initial Starsand Island experience and this return to the early access build is that there’s substantially more here. The Crafting, Exploration, Farming, Fishing, and Ranching professions feel much more fleshed out than before, with especially farming and fishing offering more variety in terms of yields, ranching adding more animal husbandry options, and many more recipes available when it comes to making things. These feel pretty full right now, though admittedly I haven’t completed any of the professions at this point. All of these seem advanced enough that I suspect I wouldn’t miss too much in 1.0 if I try and go ahead and do as much as possible now.  

Some professions did really hook me in now in this build. Especially with the Farming and Ranching lines. It seems very easy to get settled, and the range of crops and animal is great right now. There are hybrids possible, if you spend enough time playing, and greenhouses are already present. Like getting to Expert Rancher and accessing the alpaca and ostrich are helpful for the extra eggs, feathers, and wool, not to mention riding them is quite cute. And the DNA element to it is helpful for breeding purposes, should someone focus on that lifestyle. However, I will note that exploration’s combat does seem to still need work. While bows are present as a weapon, adding a nice ranged option, there’s still not much there. We could use more enemies, as well as mechanics like dodging.

While the profession changes in Starsand Island probably the first and most obvious area to get a glow-up in early access, the relationship element feels pretty good right now too. This applies to both animals and people. The pet system reminds me a bit of Harvest Moon: Animal Parade, in that you aren’t just buying a new buddy. I mean, yes, Woof and Wow Pets does offer them. But we also adopt wild animals by befriending them and reaching basically three hearts. This means you’re going to need to work to get the fox or squirrel to be a friend. 

As for the human relationship element, it does feel pretty fleshed out even now in Starsand Island. There’s a decent number of love interests at 15 total (8 bachelorettes and 7 bachelors). These feature voice acting, though there’s not much yet, and there are more appearances in quests and interactions with folks that made me want to give gifts and check in daily. In some cases though, I felt like some of the folks were just pretty faces. There isn’t enough to them yet to make them lovable. However, it does seem like that could change. The team stated there will be more to the dating system come April 2026. I would like and hope to see marriage and kids in the endgame too. 

However, I will say some stuff doesn’t feel completely balanced or 100% set yet. This is an issue acknowledged on the Steam product page and in the roadmap. I would like a little better performance when really racing through on mounts or on an item like a skateboard. Some character models could be adjusted a little. Getting your house and land built up does take a lot of time, and it doesn’t feel like it’s quite designed for us to get to the point of a massive complex with a home we could have a romance option move into yet. I do wonder if we might see rebalancing progression and development updates, since the crafting part does feel stronger than the pre-launch build I played and the team did mention that’s in the roadmap.

Starsand Island is essentially coming along, with the early access version showing a lot of progress from the initial build I played. There’s a lot more to every profession in the game, though exploration could use a bit more additions and adjusting. Romance is starting to seem more viable, and pet adoption is enjoyable. Some rebalancing would be great, but the foundation for the 1.0 version later this year seems pretty stable.

Starsand Island is in early access on the PC and Xbox Series X on February 11, 2026, and a full launch that also includes Switch 2 and PS5 versions is set for Summer 2026.

The post Preview: Starsand Island Is Built on a Solid Foundation appeared first on Siliconera.

Infiniteloop teased the next DLC character for the application Desktop Mate on social media, and it looks like Sanrio mascot Hello Kitty is on the way. There’s no release date for the add-on yet. The image also didn’t show how she’ll look in-app when hanging out on our desktops. 

The image is vague. It shows a silhouette of Hello Kitty sitting against a white and grey-striped background, so there’s no screenshot from Desktop Mate used. At the top is the Sanrio trademark, helping to confirm that this is her. Across the front is the text “coming soon.” This statement appears in Japanese and English, just like all past add-on reveals, so the DLC will show up everywhere.

Here’s the official teaser image.

This comes after multiple Vocaloids appeared in Desktop Mate. In December 2025, Kagamine Rin and Len showed up. Those were sold separately, but have special interactions if both are owned. More versions of Hatsune Miku showed up after that. Both Snow Miku 2026 and JR Tower versions launched. The official roadmap on Steam only shows two more “coming soon” spots.

Desktop Mate is available on Steam, and Hello Kitty will be the next DLC character to be added to the application.

The post Hello Kitty Desktop Mate DLC Teased appeared first on Siliconera.

Square Enix shared a special PV video on YouTube that ended with the phrase “NieR: Automata to be continued.” This suggests we could see a new NieR: Automata project, though the vagueness means it is uncertain if it could be related to the anime adaptation, a game, or book. Additional statements also confirmed current sales figures for that game and NieR Replicant. 

First, here’s the “NieR: Automata to be continued” announcement video suggesting a new project like a game or other form of media is in the works. It’s specifically designed to honor the fact that this game passed 10 million units sold physically and digitally worldwide. That applies to the Switch, PS4, Xbox One, and PC versions of the game. At the 5:48 mark of the PV, the screen scrambles and the ominous text suggesting more is in development shows up.

Square Enix also shared new key art on social media honoring the sales milestone. That features 2B at the forefront, with 9S right behind her and A2 at the back.

As for the new sales figure update for NieR Replicant ver.1.22474487139, that wasn’t accompanied by a special video. Square Enix just took to social media to share the update. It’s now at two million copies sold worldwide digitally and physically. That takes into account the PS4, Xbox One, and PC copies.

There is a piece of art shared to commemorate that, however.

NieR: Automata is available on the Switch, PS4, Xbox One, and PC, the anime is on Crunchyroll, and Square Enix’s books division handled a number of spin-off books worldwide.

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Whenever a major update arrives in Honkai: Star Rail, it always brings with it tons of new additions and gameplay features, and 4.0 is no exception. However, it seems like this version is building up with its first patch, and that we might see the real major benefits and changes once 4.1 and 4.2 arrive. Keep in mind, 4.0 is still a big deal! Especially when it comes to Sparxie and Cosmicon Collective. But I get the impression we’ll see the full weight of Planarcadia’s Trailblaze Missions and Elation’s power once we get more into it.

With the new Planarcadia Trailblaze Missions in Honkai: Star Rail 4.0, it reminds me more of the early Xianzhou Luofu and Penacony storylines than something like Jarilo-VI and Amphoreus. We’re welcome guests to the planet, with Sparkle acting as a host. It’s a very bright space that feels modern, with lots of games and activities. Now, there is the setting for something more and growing stakes, since there is the Phantasmoon Games competition. The winner gets to meet Aha and wield the power of an Aeon for a minute. Given Trailblazer, Sunday, Sparxie, and Silver Wolf are all competing, there’s a lot of potential for how this all could go.

However, I’m more excited about 4.0 for another reason. That’s because Himiko is tied to Planarcadia. We’ve seen recent versions with members of the Astral Express tied to areas including eventual revelations about the characters. Dan Heng came up during the 1.0 Xianzhou Luofu storyline. March 7th ended up featured in 3.0 at Amphoreus. This feels like Himiko’s turn, and I’m excited by the initial teasers and hints we get so far.

One of the best parts of Honkai: Star Rail 4.0 is the new Elation path, though I think most people won’t get to really appreciate it until Sparxie’s banner arrives on March 3, 2026. The new path might feel a bit like the DOTs in Nihility characters or Remembrance Memosprites since Aha could chime in for additional effects and you want to set things up for Punchlines and Elation DMG. It’s most evident with Sparxie, who I got to test out, since her Boom! Sparxicle's Poppin Skill enhances her Basic into Bloom! Winner Takes All for an attack with splash AOE damage and makes her Skill briefly Engagement Farming for a DMG multiplayer and more Punchline points. She can do big numbers even without Yao Guang, especially if Sparkle is on the same time, though she is best when paired with her fellow Elation character. 

The thing is, Yao Guang herself isn’t as exciting or useful without Sparxie. Her Decalight Unveils All Skill’s zone is best for Elation stat boosting, which only applies to Sparxie at the moment. While her Hexagram of Feathered Fortune is a more generic one that helps get Aha acting again and boosting Punchline, due to it helping all-type Res Pen for the party, she’s ideally a buffer for a type of team that probably won’t be possible until 4.2 or 4.3. I’m a bit surprised she’s the first banner for Honkai: Star Rail 4.0, in fact, given the focus Sparxie/Sparkle has in the story and the general usefulness of the other character.  

What I especially liked about the 4.0 update for Honkai: Star Rail is the Cosmicon Collective card game, which feels like the equivalent of Genius Invokation in Genshin Impact. It’s of course its own beast, with elements like weather influencing matches to offer boosts, and us using Prismatic Dice and collected character cards to fight matches. It’s standard TCG fare in many ways, with attack level determining dice selected and used, defense level determining your defense based on rolls, and us knowing how many D6s and D4s would be used and if a Prismatic Die could be used. We roll dice, select which ones to use to determine damage dealt and defenses set. It goes really quickly, and there being the “Cosmicon, Roll On” event around at launch helps make it more inviting.

The fact that Yao Guang won’t probably be all that exciting until her rerun aside, it feels like HoYoVerse is building something with Honkai: Star Rail 4.0. Planarcadia’s plot is leaving all sorts of threads to follow and hints of things to come, even though the initial quests are more about getting acquainted with the premise. Sparxie feels like a great example of what Elation could be capable of with the right supports. Cosmicon Collective is a lot of fun. It’s like we’re at the foundation now, and I’m excited for what’s next.

Honkai: Star Rail is available for the PS5, PC, and mobile devices, and the 4.0 update is live now.

The post Excitement Is Building in Honkai: Star Rail 4.0  appeared first on Siliconera.

Even before the game came out, it was pretty easy to guess that Nioh 3 would be a hit. From the word of mouth leading up to launch, to the well-received free demo, there was little chance the action RPG wasn’t going to be a major deal.

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The latest big content update has been revealed for HoYoverse's breakout game, Genshin Impact. Version Luna 5, which has the unusually long and needlessly layered title — Song of the Welkin Moon: Variation - Homeward, He Who Caught the Wind — is set to arrive February 25.

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Nioh 3 has received a hot new update that brings plenty of bug fixes to very specific issues, but it also implements fixes for a few of the most common - and incredibly annoying - bugs. Patch 1.03.01 arrived earlier on all platforms, and it comes with a chunky set of notes.

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After a one-month delay, we’re finally days away now from the start of Battlefield 6’s Season 2 of live service. The second season is being revealed today, following weeks of teasers, and some Battlefield Labs testing of the first new map arriving with the new season.

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Blizzard has recently been celebrating its major running games by hosting big livestreams to reveal some major changes, and it’s now Diablo’s turn. The Diablo series is 30 years-old, so this all just ties in nicely with some of the reveals planned for tonight’s showcase.

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Nioh 3 has had a massive weekend on Steam, the type of launch you just don’t often see for Koei Tecmo games. Indeed, this has very clearly been a monumentous release for both the publisher, and developer Team Ninja.

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Heartopia has officially shared initial details about its first-ever collaboration event. The game, which launched a month ago to great success on mobile, as well as Steam on PC, has already been a staple among fans of Animal Crossing and The Sims.

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HoYoverse just wrapped up a big Honkai: Star Rail Special Program. We’ve been waiting for this one for a couple of weeks now thanks to a delay, but the developer has finally delivered all the news on Version 4.0, which will arrive February 13.

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It sounds like Koei Tecmo’s decision to finally release a Nioh game on PC day-and-date with PlayStation has paid off. The highly-anticipated Nioh 3 has gone live across both platforms, a first for a series that typically spends its initial release months as a console exclusive.

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The moment Nioh 3 was revealed as Team Ninja’s next project, it immediately jumped to the top of my most anticipated games of 2026. That excitement was dampened somewhat when the studio revealed the game’s “open field” level design. I am very much over open-world games, but I was particularly worried that we were about to get the Nioh version of Rise of the Ronin - which, really, was itself Nioh-lite in an open world.

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Though it may seem like we just had a big life sim release in Heartopia, 2026 actually has more than one highly-anticipated release in that particular subgenre of cozy game. The next big one on the horizon is Starsand Island, the life and farming sim from Seed Sparkle Lab.

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Zenless Zone Zero’s latest Special Program has delivered a tonne of information about the game’s big upcoming update, Version 2.6. This latest addition kicks off celebrations in New Eridu, and it’s dubbed Encore for an Old Dream.

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Infinity Nikki, the free-to-play, open-world dress-up RPG, has delivered yet another big content drop in the form of Chromatic Beings Everbright. The latest update brings the game up to version 2.2, and introduces a new narrative chapter, and gameplay taking place around a festival narrative.

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