Listen, I love THE FINALS. I don’t hide it, and I couldn’t even if I wanted to. It’s the first game from Embark Studios, whom you may know as the developer of the meteoric success called Arc Raiders. But before they were making one of the best extraction shooters ever made, they cut their teeth making one of the best first-person competitive shooters ever made, and now they’ve launched the ninth season of post-launch content for it.

Dubbed “Dragon Rising”, the new season debuts a new China-inspired arena, a new attack-and-defend 8v8 game mode called Point Break, a revamped seasonal structure alongside World Tour 2.0, a more flexible sponsor system, an improved Battle Pass, balancing updates, and quality of life improvements.

THE FINALS is completely free-to-play, or you can splurge for the premium battle pass tiers if you like. I typically buy the base battle pass just to show my support for this wonderful game in hopes that it will continue its run for years to come.

Even if you don’t agree with my hot take that it’s one of the G.O.A.T.s, then perhaps you’ll agree that Embark never fails to make a killer trailer:

Hell Let Loose: Vietnam was one of my most anticipated 2026 games before I even saw gameplay footage, and now after seeing it in action, I’m even more hyped. After the 2021 original took us to the frontlines of World War II, the sequel is giving us the same treatment for the Vietnam war, bringing the series’ intense 50v50 player first-person combat to the Vietnamese jungle.

The trailer confirms a lot of what I was hoping for: the dense jungle maps, the helicopters, the patrol boats, and the extensive tunnel networks that made the North Vietnamese such a formidable force. This game is going to be nuts, y'all.

There is no word on a release date yet, other than a vague 2026 window, but Hell Let Loose: Vietnam will be boots on the ground for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S when it’s ready.

Developer Digital Dreams Entertainment has launched its gory, arcade-style football game Mutant Football League 2 for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S. The spiritual successor to Sega Genesis’ Mutant Football League packages up brutality, dark comedy, and 8-on-8 football action that reminds me of NFL Blitz, but bloodier.

Digital Dreams Entertainment is comprised of developers who worked on SSX on Tour, FIFA Street 2, Need for Speed: Pro-Street, and Army Men: Sarge’s Heroes, so there is some great pedigree behind this game as well.

Mutant Football League 2 features full team and field creation, including the ability to add buzzsaws and landmines where you please,  because what’s better than suplexing your opponent straight into an explosive device? You can take your created team and field into a single-player Season mode, Dynasty Supreme franchise mode, or head online for competitive multiplayer. And all the action is commentated by Tim Kitzrow, who you might recognize as the “Boomshakalaka” guy from NBA Jam, but he also voiced NFL Blitz, NHL Hitz, and MLB Slugfest. In other words, Tim is the guy for the job.

All right, I’m sold. Check out the brand-new launch trailer:

Are you a fan of Cyberpunk 2077? The game's hitting five years old and it's come a long way since it's initial release. There's a lot of tech in the game and CD PROJEKT RED is working with a company who has a product that looks like it could be featured in the game.

In a limited run, VITURE is producing a pair of their AR glasses dubbed the VITURE × Cyberpunk 2077 5th Anniversary Collector’s Edition. These are a Luma Pro with a sleek black and yellow color scheme. The glasses house a pair of Sony microOLED displays that have a resolution of 1920x1200 with a max refresh rate of 120Hz. With 1500 nits of brightness, these glasses can get pretty bright.

But what sets this set apart is the Cyberpunk 2077 branding. Limited to 10000 runs, the black frames are pretty sharp looking with yellow lettering that stands out, some Cyberpunk designs on the temples, and a yellow LED on each side. I personally think these look way better than the original Luma Pros. 

Once they're gone, they're gone and you can grab them today for $549. As one who's used VITURE XR glasses, they are great when plugged into a portable gaming console like a Steam Deck and one of things I always bring with me when I go on a trip. These Cyberpunk 2077 style Luma Pros look like a great collaboration between CD PROJEKT RED and VITURE and it's sure to be a great collector's item for fans of the game as well.

Ok ok. Perhaps I was a little harsh on TMNT Splintered Fate for the Nintendo Switch. I gave it a 6.5, based on many bugs, and a very steep upgrade system. While I think Hades 2 was more balanced and rewarding for your progress, or lack thereof, TMNT wanted you to stay in your shell for as long as you possibly could. But this is before all the updates to Splintered Fate, and Super Evil Megacorp and I are hopefully on the road to friendship. Right? RIGHT?!

TMNT Splintered Fate wants to be on everything, and it's about to now come to the Nintendo Switch 2. The upgrade promises visual enhancements, and a better frame rate. Those visuals and that frame rate clocks in at 4K, 60 FPS. You can also use Game Chat, AND Game Share, which means if someone doesn't own the game, they can play multiplayer with you if they have a Switch 1 or 2. This officially means that it's out for everything! 

Releasing December 16th, the upgrade is only TWO DOLLARS AND FORTY NINE CENTS (USD) That's the end of the post. 

Ok folks, here's the rundown.

Evo Japan May 1-3, 2026 held at Tokyo Big Sight. Sponsored by Chipotle. They promised to fix the air conditioning. The games that will be featured, with the years of appearance:

Street Fighter 6 (3rd)

Guilty Gear: Strive (4th)

Granblue Fantasy Versus (4th

KOF XV (4th)

Virtual Fighter REVO (1st)

Tekken 8 (3rd)

Fatal Fury COTW (1st)

Vampire Savior (1st)

Undernight In Birth  SYS CELES

Hokuto No Ken (1st)

Melty Blood Type Lumina ((2nd)

2XKO (1st)

The winner of the cosplay Contest gets a free ticket to any EVO they choose. Evo Museums are getting an upgrade and will be hosted by jbStyle. There will be an exclusive Darkstalkers figure available. Moving on!

Evo Awards 2026 will take place March 28, 2026 in Los Angeles. Categories can be found here, and I believe you will have a chance to vote this year. Should we go to that too? 

Evo Vegas 2026 will take place a month earlier than last year, from June 26-28, 2026. There will officially be 12 games for championships, with no extended lineup. The 6 games with the highest registration will be featured in the Arena. The games announced are as follows, with their number of appearances.

Street Fighter 6 (4th)

Tekken 8 (3rd)

Fatal Fury COTW (2nd)

Undernight in Birth SYS: Celes (3rd)

Granblue Fantasy Versus Rising (3rd)

Rivals of Aether (2nd)

2XKO (1st)

Guilty Gear Strive (5th)

Blazblue Centralfication (3rd)

Virtual Fighter 5 REVO (1st)

Vampire Savior (1st)

Invincible VS (1st)

Cosplay will have more cash prizes and categories. There was nothing announced about the prizes, so we will be updated at a later date. Until February 2, early bird pricing will be under $200 for all three days

$500,000 across the board. The stream spoke about some mystery games making an appearance, so there may be more games to be announced. Evo Stick and Art Museum is returning, with featured artists, EVO Moment 37, and the exclusive Darkstalkers Figure will be here too. 

They also dropped an announcement and trailer for Rivals of Aether's character, La Raina, and also told us to be on the lookout for an Invincible VS Game Awards announcement.

Registration is open now for both EVO Japan, and EVO Vegas, at Evo.gg. You can watch the replay below. 

I'm not even going to embellish this with any sort of historic nonsense of where I was when Tekken first came out. Katsuhiro Harada, chief producer and game director for the Tekken and Soul Calibur,  among other fighting games, is leaving Bandai Namco after 31 years. You can see his tweet here. 

Tekken 8's team followed up saying that the are "fully commited to the future development and content plans for Tekken 8", and that they "will continue to take community feedback and its content to heart to ensure that we uphold the vision and spirit built by Harada-San..."

Maximilian Dood had his own perspective and kind words to say about the boss of all bosses. More people have weighed in on his departure, but I just wanted to personally say thank you for being one of the best. And I wish you the best of luck. If you don't have Twitter, Gaming Nexus has got you covered.

"I’d like to share that I’ll be leaving Bandai Namco at the end of 2025. With the TEKKEN series reaching its 30th anniversary—an important milestone for a project I’ve devoted much of my life to—I felt this was the most fitting moment to bring one chapter to a close.

My roots lie in the days when I supported small local tournaments in Japanese arcades and in small halls and community centers overseas. I still remember carrying arcade cabinets by myself, encouraging people to “Please try TEKKEN,” and directly facing the players right in front of me.

The conversations and atmosphere we shared in those places became the core of who I am as a developer and game creator.

Even as the times changed, those experiences have remained at the center of my identity.

And even after the tournament scene grew much larger, many of you continued to treat me like an old friend—challenging me at venues, inviting me out for drinks at bars.

Those memories are also deeply precious to me. In recent years, I experienced the loss of several close friends in my personal life, and in my professional life I witnessed the retirement or passing of many senior colleagues whom I deeply respect. Those accumulated events made me reflect on the “time I have left as a creator.”

During that period, I sought advice from Ken Kutaragi—whom I respect as though he were another father—and received invaluable encouragement and guidance. His words quietly supported me in making this decision.

Over the past four to five years, I’ve gradually handed over all of my responsibilities, as well as the stories and worldbuilding I oversaw, to the team, bringing me to the present day. Looking back, I was fortunate to work on an extraordinary variety of projects—VR titles (such as Summer Lesson), Pokkén Tournament, the Soul Calibur series, and many others, both inside and outside the company.

Each project was full of new discoveries and learning, and every one of them became an irreplaceable experience for me. To everyone who has supported me, to communities around the world, and to all the colleagues who have walked alongside me for so many years, I offer my deepest gratitude. I’ll share more about my next steps at a later date. Thank you very much for everything.

Although I will be leaving the company at the end of 2025, Bandai Namco has asked me to appear at the TWT Finals at the end of January 2026, so I expect to attend as a guest.

For 30 years I kept saying, “I’ll do it someday,” and never once performed as a DJ at a tournament event. So instead, I will be releasing—for the first and last time—a 60-minute TEKKEN DJ-style nonstop mix (DJ mix), personally edited by myself, together with this announcement. Listening to it brings back many memories.

Thank you again, sincerely, for all these years.

‘TEKKEN: A 30-Year Journey – Harada’s Final Mix’ by Katsuhiro Harada 1 is on #SoundCloud https://on.soundcloud.com/pEYofA4yXOwyC7lj0O

December 8, 2025 - The Final Day of TEKKEN’s 30th Anniversary"

- Katsuhiro Harada

Well... the time has finally arrived. Tomb Raider fans have waited six years to find out what would be next for our favorite adventurer Lara Croft and it seems we will find out what the future holds for the series as Geoff Keighley has confirmed that there will be a reveal for the "The future of Tomb Raider" and as a huge fan of this series, I'm very excited but I'm also terrified. 

The one thing that I hope for more than anything else is that I really hope we finally go back to classic Tomb Raider where Lara is going on a globe trotting adventure where she's actually raiding tombs, fighting bears and gorillas and giant dinosaurs while the environment itself is a giant puzzle. 

Look the 2012 reboot of Tomb Raider was great and I really liked how it was an origin story and showing how Lara became the Lara Croft we all knew and loved. So I assumed that after that game things would be back to normal. That never happened. Three games into that trilogy and Lara never advanced as a character. She's constantly a victim, constantly calling for Jonah's help, constantly dealing with PTSD and we semi open world games while fighting Trinity, which were awful villains. 

Either way, we will see what's in store for Lara when the reveal happens this Thursday. 

The new Forgotten Realms: Adventures in Faerun Dungeon Master Expansion finally sends D&D 5th Edition's (5e) map beyond the Sword Coast. For too long, too many adventures clung too tightly to the thousand-mile coastline between Baldur's Gate in the south, and Icewind Dale in the north. 

But no more. As only one example, the surprisingly large archipelago called the Moonshae Isles is finally part of the Forgotten Realms' growth. At least as far as D&D 5e is concerned. According to a recent blog on D&D Beyond:

The Moonshae Isles are where wild magic, ancient tradition, and the Feywild all collide into a mix of unpredictable adventure.

I'd even throw swashbuckling high fantasy into the mix, giving the fairytale land a distinctly Peter Pan and the Lost Boys flair. Not to mention the writers at Wizards of the Coast have decided the place needs a catalyst for adventure in the Moonshae—just so it's not all rainbows and pixies when you arrive. What they've added is a curse called the Rusting.

Heck yeah.

At less than a week's distance by boat, you're one easy travel montage away from the tired old Sword Coast to a land of fresh, new adventure. 

According to the full-page spread of artwork kicking off the Moonshae Isles in the Adventures in Faerun book, the place looks like Moana windsurfing on the edge of a waterfall, with Jack and the Beanstalk tree growths carrying Disney castles up into the sky. It's lovely.

Until you see the Rusting take over a Basking Shark and you're all like, Siiiick, and then you spot Rusting Pirate ships sitting low in the water like crocodiles flaking away. So, now your Dungeon Master has got a reason to take you there—a purpose for adventure. The Moonshae is no longer just, Oh look, a faerie dragon with butterfly wings, that's cute. 

You now have a bona fide eco-adventure on your hands, leading the peoples of Fern Gully against Captain Hook on his rust bucket. Or something like that. The Moonshae Isles section in the Adventures in Faerun book comes with several of those adventure outlines that give you a page or half-a-page of adventure ideas.

By the way, those short adventure ideas aren't bad. I can flip through D&D books' usual random tables all day and not really narrow things down to something useful. But these little half-pagers cobble together a hook, some encounters, some monsters, and an attainable goal. 

The Moonshae Isles section alone has half-page adventures for DMs that go something like:

• The Rushdown Well (a location-based level 3 adventure) where you save a Moonwell from the Rusting.
• Message in a Bottle (level 4 adventure) where you win a castle from a fey queen.
• Wreck of the Silverhand (level 6 adventure) where you recover a famous treasure from a sunken ship.
• The Treaty of Ostoria (level 8 adventure) where you win the friendship of a fire giant king.

These half-page adventures are a full-court-press away from 5e's previous campaign-length adventure books. Those things can take a year or two. Or three. It all depends on how long, hard, and consistent your group is when meting out D&D "sessions." 

But what are those one-, two-, and three-year campaigns but a series of (basically) half-page adventure prompts with a hook, some encounters, some monsters, and a series of attainable goals? D&D 2024 has simply deconstructed the singular, on-rails, campaign-length adventure and given Dungeon Masters the ability to drag and drop whatever they need into their campaign. 

I like it. Though I haven't been able to try this modular approach yet because I've been running Dragonlance: Shadow of the Dragon Queen for two years now. When the light finally appears at the end of the tunnel, it might be a time to visit Myth Drannor, a megadungeon in the opposite direction of Moonshae.

The Dungeons & Dragons Forgotten Realms: Adventures in Faerun (and Heroes in Faerun player expansion) launched November 11.

Great news for Nicktoons and the Dice of Destiny fans, such as myself, because the game officially launched on Switch2 last week.

The Nintendo Switch 2 version of Nicktoons & The Dice of Destiny features increased resolution to 1240p and 60 FPS, as well as improved lighting, particle effects, anti-aliasing and more. Already own the original Switch version of the game? No worries, those enhancements will be automatically updated when playing on Nintendo Switch 2 with a free performance update for the game - coming soon.

New to the game and want to learn more? You can read my review here. 

Nicktoons & The Dice of Destiny is available now on Nintendo Switch 2, as well as Nintendo Switch, PlayStation®5, Xbox Series X|S, Steam and the Epic Games Store. The "Wardrobe of Wonder" DLC, which includes in-game costumes for each character, is also available on Nintendo Switch 2 as part of the game's Deluxe Edition, or purchased seperately.