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The Outerhaven •

Sonic Racing CrossWorlds Network Test Concludes, Demo Coming Soon

Sad news for you all who missed out on the Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds Open Network Test; it has wrapped. Sega has reportedly seen lots of feedback and has thanked its fans for jumping into the chaos. However, if you missed out on the network test for one reason or another, a single-player demo arrives in mid-September. Sadly, I was covering PAX West 2025, and I was one of the people who missed out on the network test, but from the people I’ve spoken to who did play it, they simply loved the game....
The Outerhaven •

Cronos: The New Dawn PC Gameplay – First 45 Minutes in 4K Horror Action

With Cronos: The New Dawn launching in just a few days, we’re giving you an extended look at why we called it Bloober Team’s best original IP yet. After awarding the game 4 out of 5 stars in our Cronos: The New Dawn review, we recorded 48 minutes of PC gameplay to showcase the opening chapter, the tense atmosphere, and the survival mechanics that make this title shine. Fair warning: there may be some spoilers here, so watch carefully if you want to experience everything fresh on launch day. Wha...
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Spectator Mode Podcast Ep. 200 – PAX West 2025, Ninja Gaiden 4 and the ROG Xbox Ally X Hands-on

We’ve hit episode 200 of Spectator Mode Podcast! In this milestone episode, we kick things off with the games we’ve been playing and shows we’ve been watching before diving into Keith’s Rant Corner for some words about the gaming journalism space and some unfair practices. We also announce our big step onto Metacritic and discuss the unusual August 28th moment when Gears of War: Reloaded topped the PlayStation store and Helldivers 2 led the Xbox store. Finally, we break down our PAX West 2025 im...
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Techland Reveals PC and Laptop Specs for Dying Light: The Beast

Techland has officially unveiled the PC and laptop requirements for Dying Light: The Beast, giving players a detailed breakdown of what hardware they’ll need to prepare ahead of the game’s September 19, 2025 launch. The studio provided four tiers of PC specs: Minimum, Recommended, High, and Ultra, alongside three tiers for laptops, which is a first by separating PC from laptops. Whether you’re playing on a desktop powerhouse or a portable rig, Techland has outlined what it will take to enjoy the...
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PAX West 2025 Preview – Valor Mortis Reinvents the Soulslike in First-Person Combat

Ever since Valor Mortis, the first-person action RPG (yes, a Soulslike), was revealed at Gamescom 2025, my interest has been piqued. We’ve seen plenty of first-person adventure titles, but rarely one that embraces the action RPG formula. As a long-time fan of Soulslikes, I immediately wondered why there weren’t more games like this. Unfortunately, I couldn’t make the trip to Gamescom—both because of cost and my reluctance to fly across large bodies of water—so I missed the reveal in person. Than...
The Outerhaven •

Marvel Zombies Trailer Drops, Disney Plus Release Date Revealed

It’s been a while since I’ve been excited about anything Marvel or Disney related. But I’ll have you know—I loved Marvel’s What If…? series and was extremely frustrated when it ended. So, when Marvel and Disney randomly dropped a trailer for the upcoming *Marvel Zombies* series, not only did it make for a fantastic Tuesday, but it also gave me a reason to consider resubscribing to Disney Plus. No kidding. This trailer is packed with “oh’s and ah’s,” a slamming metal soundtrack, and exactly the k...
The Outerhaven •

PAX West 2025: Hyperkin Competitor Controller Channels DualSense Design for Xbox and PC

During CES 2025, I came across a new controller from Hyperkin called the Competitor. At first glance, I thought it was a third-party DualSense controller. It was intriguing and I had hoped to get more info about the device. However, after the event, Hyperkin went dark and there was no further info about the controller to be released. Fast forward to PAX West 2025, and the controller made another appearance. Thanks to a PR tip, I knew to swing by the booth, which was tucked away and easy to overl...
The Outerhaven •

PAX West 2025: ROG Xbox Ally X Hands-On Preview and Impressions

I’ll admit, when Xbox first stated it was working on a handheld, I wasn’t exactly thrilled. The messaging was unclear, and when it was revealed that Xbox would partner with ASUS to release an Xbox-branded version of the ROG Ally: the ROG Xbox Ally and the ROG Xbox Ally X, it didn’t really change my mind. At best, I was curious to see what Xbox was trying to do, even if the entire push seemed aimed more at PC gaming than Xbox as a console. That said, after finally getting hands-on with the ROG Xb...
The Outerhaven •

PAX West 2025: Borderlands 4 Endgame and Roadmap Revealed

Gearbox and 2K took the stage at the Gearbox Main Theater Show during PAX West to pull back the curtain on what awaits Vault Hunters after the credits roll in Borderlands 4. The next entry in the looter-shooter franchise launches September 12, 2025, for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC (Steam, Epic Games Store). Nintendo Switch 2 will be able to get into the action, but will need to wait a few weeks later on October 3, 2025. Once players make it through the story of Borderlands 4, that’s j...
The Outerhaven •

Valor Mortis Will Be Playable At PAX West 2025

I’m sure you’ve heard of the first person Soulslike from One More Level, the team behind Ghostrunner. That game is Valor Mortis. It is a wild concept and honestly, which reminds me of the Dishonored series, but in a different format, and I’m surprised had attempted this before. Ever since it was revealed at Gamescom 2025 I’ve been kicking myself for not being there to try it out, especially since Soulslikes are my thing. However, there’s some good news; that being that One More Level just confi...
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Silent Hill F Is Not a Soulslike, Stop Calling It One

During Gamescom 2025, Silent Hill producer Motoi Okamoto had to make it very apparent during an interview with IGN and clarify something that should have been obvious from the start: Silent Hill F is not a Soulslike. Yet here we are, with people tossing that label around as if every dark, atmospheric game automatically belongs to the same genre as Dark Souls or Elden Ring. As someone who openly admits to being addicted to Soulslikes, I live and breathe them, review them, and probably play more o...
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Konami Responds to Metal Gear Solid Delta Backlash, Patch in Development

Ever since Konami released its remake of classic Metal Gear Solid title, Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater, the gaming community has been in an uproar, due to the number of bugs and performance of the game across the board, especially the PC version, which has been locked at either 30/60FPS. However, Konami has been paying attention and has recently mentioned via Twitter, that it this received multiple reports and are working on a patch to address them. While the post was in Japanese, this is...
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Baby Steps Stumbles Into New Release Date After Silksong Reveal

Another game has been forced to bow down to the unstoppable force that is Hollow Knight: Silksong. This time it’s Baby Steps, the quirky, physics-based walking simulator from Bennett Foddy, Gabe Cuzzillo, and Maxi Boch, and published by Devolver Digital. Originally set to launch right after Silksong’s surprise release, Baby Steps quickly realized that was a death sentence. The team has now pushed the game back to September 23, 2025, on PlayStation 5 and PC via Steam. For those not familiar, Baby...
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Shinobi: Art of Vengeance Review (PC) – Joe Musashi’s Triumphant Return

This Shinobi: Art of Vengeance review is not just about another release. This is about the revival of one of SEGA’s most iconic series, and for me, a personal milestone. I grew up with the Shinobi series, from the arcades to the Sega Master System, Genesis, PlayStation 2, and even the Nintendo 3DS. Then, just like that, the franchise disappeared for decades. Now Joe Musashi is finally back, and while SEGA took a risk bringing him out of retirement, they did not need to worry. Shinobi is not only...
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Indie RPG Demonschool pushed back to November 2025 to dodge Silksong’s shadow

It looks like Demonschool, the stylish school life tactics RPG inspired by Persona, Shin Megami Tensei, and classic Italian horror films, is getting delayed once again. Originally set to launch on September 3, 2025, publisher Ysbryd Games has announced that the game will now release on Wednesday, November 19, 2025. However, this time around, this delay has nothing to do with polishing the game, but more along the lines of making sure that the game doesn’t get lost in the shuffle. Hollow Knight:...
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Why I Agree With Team Cherry’s No Review Codes Decision for Hollow Knight: Silksong

With the announcement of Hollow Knight: Silksong releasing sooner than most expected, on September 4th, 2025, there has been some frustration around the news. The developer, Team Cherry, was reported by Jason Schreier as not providing review codes to anyone, outlets, personalities, influencers, or otherwise. Instead, they want to reward the backers who helped fund the game by giving them the first chance to play it (outside of conventions). Apparently, this has caused quite a bit of discourse. S...
The Outerhaven •

Spectator Mode Podcast Ep. 199 – Silksong Hype, PS5 Price Hike, Xbox Ally & More

Welcome back to Spectator Mode Podcast! In episode 199, we cover the latest in gaming and give you our unfiltered thoughts. We discuss the games we’ve been playing and the shows we’ve been watching, dive into the never-ending Silksong hype, and discuss whether it’s actually worth it. Keith shares his hands-on impressions of Pragmata, Resident Evil Requiem, and Onimusha: Way of the Sword. We also break down Sony raising the price of the PlayStation 5 in the U.S., why tariffs are to blame, and giv...
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Ubisoft Expands The Division Universe With Survivors and Resurgence, But What’s the Plan?

Ubisoft made some surprising announcements during Gamescom 2025, revealing new projects for The Division franchise. The reveals included The Division 2: Survivors and The Division Resurgence, two games that left many fans wondering what Ubisoft’s overall strategy is for the series, especially after last year’s cancellation of The Division: Heartland. The Division 2: Survivors is being described as a fresh take on the survival-extraction genre. Despite the name, this isn’t a brand-new game but a...
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Mortal Kombat: Legacy Kollection Expands With Two Spin-Offs

Looks like the Mortal Kombat: Legacy Kollection is getting even bigger. During Gamescom 2025, it was spotted that Mortal Kombat Mythologies: Sub-Zero and Mortal Kombat: Special Forces are being added to the collection. Both of these are spin-offs that took the series away from its traditional fighting roots, and it is pretty wild to see them included. Although adding in Mythologies and Special Forces does make the collection feel more complete. Mythologies was an action-adventure game on the Pla...
The Outerhaven •

Phantom Blade Zero Impresses at the Future Games Show During Gamescom 2025, Release Window Reveal Coming Soon

Phantom Blade Zero continues to impress, no matter where it shows up, and recently, the game put on a big show during the Future Games Show at Gamescom 2025,  which gave fans plenty to get excited about. Developer S-Game and director Soulframe Liang provided an extended deep dive into the upcoming Kungfupunk action RPG that is NOT a Soulslike, showcasing more of what makes this project so special. The star of the show was the combat, which is a major component of the game. Phantom Blade Zero is...
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