Author: Feras Alomireen

Art by Elmer Damaso, Monster Hunter Characters by Capcom When a buddy of mine recommended Monster Hunter Stories 2 on the Switch a few years back, I was genuinely intrigued of what this game was. Taking the legendary grind of the Monster Hunter universe and tossing it into a story-driven, Pokémon-style blender? On paper, it sounded like an absolute dream. But despite my deep love for JRPGs and turn-based combat—if you know me, you know I can lose months to a good Final Fantasy or Tales of games—the execution in Stories 2 just didn’t land. The characters lacked edge, the setup…

Supergiant Games is finally ready to let the immortal Princess of the Underworld loose on the big consoles. After launching out of Early Access for PC and Switch platforms late last year, Hades II has officially been given a release date for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S: April 14.Even better news for the Xbox crowd? The critically acclaimed god-like roguelike will be available via Game Pass on day one of its console launch.Hades II takes everything that made the original game a masterpiece and scales it up. Players take control of Melinoë, who is armed with ancient witchcraft and…

Microsoft is gearing up to kick off the summer gaming news season with a bang. Today, Xbox officially announced that the highly anticipated Xbox Games Showcase 2026 will air on June 7 at 10:00 a.m. PT / 1:00 p.m. ET. According to Microsoft, the broadcast will deliver “first gameplay looks and huge news on upcoming titles from our first-party studios across the Xbox family,” alongside major updates from third-party partners and indie developers. But the real heavyweight of the event will happen immediately afterward. Following the main showcase, Xbox will broadcast a special “Direct” deep dive into Gears of War:…

Just when we thought we had Shinji Mikami’s next move figured out, he throws a massive curveball. It looks like the legendary Resident Evil creator might be teaming up with one of the hottest action studios in the industry right now.Today, Mikami’s new independent studio, Unbound, posted a highly suggestive teaser on X (formerly Twitter). The post featured a photo of Mikami alongside Kim Hyung Tae, the director behind Shift Up’s blockbuster action game Stellar Blade.The caption read: “さあ、一緒に行こう。忘れられない体験を作り上げよう。” (Come on, let’s go together. Let’s create an unforgettable experience.)While neither studio has officially confirmed the exact nature of the project,…

After years of radio silence following its initial announcement back in 2021, the long-rumored Final Fantasy IX animated series is officially in production.According to an update from animation studio EuroVisual’s official website, the 2D series is titled Final Fantasy: Black Mages Legacy. The first season is currently deep in production and will feature 10 episodes, each clocking in at around 22 minutes.Rather than a straight retelling of Zidane and Garnet’s classic adventure, the series is taking a fascinating spin by focusing on the next generation of characters. The story will center entirely around the children of the legendary hero Vivi…

Microsoft has officially peeled back the curtain on the future of its hardware. During the Xbox Developer Summit keynote at GDC 2026, Microsoft Gaming shed light on “Project Helix,” the codename for its next-generation console, revealing that alpha development kits will start shipping to studios in 2027.According to Jason Ronald, Xbox’s vice president of next-generation, Project Helix isn’t just an iteration—it’s designed to fundamentally change the relationship between console and PC gaming. Helix is being built to play both your Xbox console library and PC games natively.The console will be powered by a custom AMD system-on-chip, co-designed to leverage the…

The city of Krat is far from finished with us. Following the massive success of last year’s Overture prequel DLC, Neowiz and Round8 Studio have been on an absolute tear. Not only did they just confirm that Lies of P has officially surpassed 4 million copies sold worldwide, but they are already gearing up for the next major content drop. Teased across their social channels this week, a mysterious “Next Boss Event” is officially scheduled to go live in a new update on March 30, 2026. While the developers are keeping the exact details under wraps, this new event is expected to…

In a move that is virtually unprecedented this late into a console generation, Sony has officially announced a massive, global price increase across the entire PlayStation 5 hardware family.Effective April 2, 2026, the cost of joining the PS5 ecosystem is going to sting quite a bit more. The price hikes affect all major regions—including the US, UK, Europe, and Japan—with the consoles jumping anywhere from $100 to $150 in the United States alone.Here is the new US pricing structure you can expect next week:PS5 (Disc Edition): $649.99 (Up $100) PS5 Digital Edition: $599.99 (Up $100) PS5 Pro: $899.99 (Up $150) PlayStation Portal: $249.99…

It is no secret that Final Fantasy VII Rebirth was supposed to be a love letter to long-time fans who grew up with the 1997 original. However, new demographic data suggests that Square Enix might have a looming problem on its hands: younger gamers simply aren’t playing it or the series itself. According to recent data from Circana’s PlayerPulse, shared by industry analyst Mat Piscatella, a staggering 62% of US players of Final Fantasy VII Rebirth are aged 35 or older. If you lower the threshold just slightly to include everyone aged 30 and up, that number skyrockets to 77%.…

It has only been a few weeks since Resident Evil Requiem launched on February 27, but Capcom is already celebrating a massive win. Director Koshi Nakanishi has officially confirmed that the game has surpassed six million copies sold worldwide.In a special video message to fans, Nakanishi expressed his gratitude for the overwhelming reception before dropping a roadmap for what’s coming next to the horror hit.The immediate future holds several free updates, including the highly requested Photo Mode. Nakanishi also teased a “surprise” coming in May, which will include a brand-new mini-game to keep players engaged in the world of Requiem.However, the…