Monster Hunter Wilds is the latest game to feature an ‘arachnophobia assistance’ option

Monster Hunter Wilds is the latest game to include an accessibility option for players with a fear of spiders and other arachnids. As spotted byAutomaton, the game’s newly launched Open Beta features an accessibility option called ‘Arachnophobia Assistance’. According to the option’s description, turning it on “adjusts the appearance of multi-legged creatures such as arachnids, insect-like small monsters and endemic life”. VGC’sMonster Hunter Wilds reviewis ready to read. Read our Monster Hunter Wilds guides: The publication turned the option on to see what would happen, and the small insect-like creatures which appear in the Open Beta were replaced by green blob monsters....

July 29, 2025 · 2 min · 273 words · Jordan Cunningham

Naughty Dog has revealed the first concept art for its Last of Us multiplayer game

Naughty Dog has shown off the first concept art for its standalone The Last of Us multiplayer game. During an appearance at Thursday’sSummer Game Festshowcase, studio co-presidentNeil Druckmannsaid the game is as big as any ofNaughty Dog’s single-player titles. It has its own story, a brand-new cast of characters, and more information on the game will be released in 2023. “What I can tell you is that this game is big,” Druckmann said....

July 29, 2025 · 2 min · 419 words · Ashley Thompson

NCSoft has announced LLL, a ‘trailblazer’ MMO third-person shooter

South Korean developer and publisher NCSoft has announced LLL, a new title it’s referring to as a “trailblazer project”. The game is an open-world MMO third-person shooter which is coming to consoles andPCin 2024. LLL’s project leader Jaehyun Bae describes it as an “alternate history science fiction project […] where an event in the past changed the world as we know it”. The first gameplay footage was also revealed, and can be seen here:...

July 29, 2025 · 2 min · 405 words · Jeffrey Patel

Ninja Gaiden Master Collection’s PC port is being slammed for a lack of options

The newly released PC version of the Ninja Gaiden Master Collection is being heavily criticised for a lack of basic PC settings. The game’sSteampage is steadily gathering negative reviews while gaming publications have also been calling out its limitations, withKotaku’sLuke Plunkett naming it “one of the worst [PCports] I have ever seen”. The problems stem from three main issues regarding full-screen, resolution and control options. The game launches in a window every time, and players have to manually switch to full-screen by maximising the window....

July 29, 2025 · 2 min · 301 words · Jonathan Parker

Nintendo’s San Francisco store will open in May with ‘exclusive products only available in this location’

Nintendo’s San Francisco store will open on May 15, the company has announced. Located in the city’s Union Square,NintendoSan Francisco will be the company’s second store to open in the United States, after Nintendo New York, which launched in New York’s Rockefeller Center in 2005. In addition to game systems and games, Nintendo San Francisco will offer exclusive products including accessories, apparel, home goods and souvenirs available only at this location, Nintendo said....

July 29, 2025 · 1 min · 199 words · Amber Peterson

Phil Spencer says Xbox is looking to buy social and casual game developers

The head of Microsoft’s gaming business has said Xbox is targeting acquisitions in the causal and social gaming spaces. In an interview withBloomberg,Phil Spencersaid he wantsXbox’s first-party software line-up to include more casual content with a broad appeal. “When I think about the kinds of genres that are usually associated with Xbox, yes, we haveRoblox, we haveMinecraft, we have FIFA andFortnite, but we want to continue to invest in more social, casual content that’s out there,” he said....

July 29, 2025 · 2 min · 326 words · Jamie Jacobs

PlayStation 5 release date ‘not before April 2020’

Sony has reportedly confirmed PlayStation 5 won’t be released during its current financial year ending July 28, 2025. The platform holder is said to have confirmed the news to Wall Street Journal reporterTakashi Mochizukifollowing today’s announcement of its fiscal year 2018 results. We already knew thePS5 launch datewouldn’t be in calendar 2019. If today’s report is accurate,Sonyhas also ruled out releasing the console between January and March 2020. VGC has contacted Sony for confirmation....

July 29, 2025 · 2 min · 245 words · Joyce Harvey

PlayStation announces 30th Anniversary Collection, including grey PS5 and PS5 Pro

Sony has announced a PlayStation 30th Anniversary Collection of consoles, including a grey PS5 Digital and PS5 Pro. The collection will include special 30th Anniversary editions of thePlayStation 5Pro and the PlayStation 5 Digital Edition. The 30th Anniversary PS5 Digital Edition will include a console coloured like the originalPlayStationalong with a matching DualSense, a console cover for the Disc Drive (which is still sold separately), a vertical stand, a poster (1 of 30 possible designers), an “original PlayStation-style cable connector housing”, four PlayStation Shapes cable ties, a sticker and a paperclip....

July 29, 2025 · 3 min · 449 words · Manuel Whitaker

Pokémon Black and White anniversary set will reportedly be treated like Prismatic Evolutions

The upcoming Pokémon trading card game set based on Pokémon Black and White will be a special set like Pokémon Prismatic Evolutions. The set will celebrate the Unova region, which first debuted inPokémonBlack and Pokémon White, released for theNintendo DSin 2010. The set will include all 156 of the Pokémon originally found in the Unova region to celebrate 15 years since the games were released. The set will be released in Japanese as Black Bolt and White Flare on July 18th, with the English set expected to follow later in the year....

July 29, 2025 · 2 min · 310 words · Nicholas Bright

Pokémon Presents tease revealed as DJ Pikachu show

The Pokémon Company has announced a pre-show for its big Pokémon Presents live stream next week. On Tuesday, the companyreleased a teaser imageahead of the Presents event, showing what appeared to be Pikachu character standing in front of a set of DJ decks and some speakers. Now, TPC has revealed what the tease was seemingly pointing towards: a pre-show music stream. An hour before July 22’sPokémonPresents, it will stream a pre-event show called “Everyone Gather!...

July 29, 2025 · 1 min · 175 words · Justin Drake

PS5 version of The Last of Us Part 2 reportedly added to PlayStation’s database

A PlayStation 5 version of The Last of Us Part 2 has seemingly been added to the PlayStation database. Twitter accountPlayStationGame Size, which has a history of scraping the backend of the PlayStation Network to find out what has been added to it, has suggested that a PS5 version of the 2020PS4game has been added, suggesting a release could be imminent. Despite releasing only months before the launch of thePlayStation 5,The Last of Us Part 2never received a native PS5 version or a director’s cut re-release likeSucker Punch‘sGhost of Tsushima....

July 29, 2025 · 2 min · 265 words · Lindsay Mcknight

Rare has detailed Sea of Thieves’ new seasonal progression system

Rare has detailed how Sea of Thieves’ new seasonal progression system will work ahead of its January 28 launch. In ablog postand accompanying video (below), the studio said eachSea of Thievesseason will include three months of new features, events and updates, which will be free for all players. Season 1, for example, will introduce a new Merchant Alliance Voyage as a permanent part of the game. Players will progress through each season and unlock rewards by winning Renown, a new progression metric that can be “earned in hundreds of different ways” and so isn’t just dependent on handing in loot....

July 29, 2025 · 3 min · 499 words · David Rodriguez

Reminder: There’s just one day left before Xbox 360’s Marketplace closes

Xbox 360 owners have one day left to purchase games from the console’s online marketplace. As previously announced, after July 29,it will no longer be possible to buy any more gamesor DLC from theXbox 360Marketplace. Users will still be able to redownload their previous purchases for the foreseeable future, according toMicrosoft. Many digital Xbox 360 games have been discounted ahead of the closure, and you may view them allvia this link....

July 29, 2025 · 1 min · 187 words · Sabrina Hansen