2025 is primed to be a massive year for the gaming industry, andHollow Knight: Silksonghas the potential to be an integral part of this roster. Unfortunately, theprolonged development ofHollow Knight: Silksongmay be a wake-up call, for better or for worse. The sequel was initially slated for release in early 2023, but was later delayed indefinitely. Considering thatHollow Knight: Silksongwas announced in 2019, nearly six years ago, fans are hoping for any news to tide them over during the prolonged wait period....

Fans have been eagerly waiting for more news aboutMass Effect 4since its 2020 announcement, and 2025 may be the year they get an update as BioWare shifts its focus solely toMass Effect 4. WithDragon Age: The Veilguard’s release in November 2024, BioWare has stated that it has no plans to create DLC and that theDragon Ageteam has been moved ontoMass Effect 4. The entire studio is reportedly working on developingMass Effect 4, which is still in its early stages....

The announcement of the Nintendo Switch 2 is great news for all fans of Nintendo games, but could be most welcome among thePokemoncommunity. One of the most exciting parts of the Switch 2 is the rumored hardware it packs that would elevate its performance capabilities far beyond its predecessor. As such, it’s likely that future games for the console will look and run significantly better than games on the original Switch, making one highly-requested feature forPokemonGen 10 within arm’s reach....

Summary Quick Links When most of the viewers are used to colorful and beautiful CGI combined with super-detailed and realisticanimation, Studio Ghibli‘s commitment to the art of handmade animation feels like getting an actual letter in times of reading mail. It’s emotional, nostalgic, and something that has a sort of home feeling that is just hard to pass off. From the Shōnen Jump collection, their timeless art style with inspirational and dramatic plots makes you watch them with a bowl of soup and sometimes a tissue....

Even before the show starts, it’s clear thatWickedis looking to dazzle. From the glittery map of The Land of Oz to the impressive dragon fixture at the top of the stage, this is a show all about spectacle. In the obvious sense, that spectacle manifests in set decoration, costumes, choreography, and effects, but it extends to the performances of its cast and their incredible vocal talents.Wicked The Musicalis a production on a level that meets or even exceeds the show’s long-running history and highlights why it was a perfect choice for a feature film adaptation....

With January in the rearview mirror, the release ofAvowedis on the horizon. Created by Obsidian Entertainment — the developers behindThe Outer Worlds,South Park: The Stick of Truth, andFallout: New Vegas—Avowedis an action RPG set within thePillars of Eternityuniverse. While engaging withAvowed’s fantasy narrative, players will get to take on the role of an envoy of Aedyr — a customizable character with multiple playstyles to choose from — sent to investigate a plague ravaging the mysterious Living Lands....

Summary Xbox Game Pass Ultimatehas addedGigantic: Rampage Editionand the console versions ofStarbound. Both titles are now also available on the Standard tier ofXbox Game Pass, having arrived alongside five other games. Before Microsoftlaunched Xbox Game Pass Standard in September 2024, all additions to its content catalog were available across every non-Core tier of the service. Since then, day-one releases became exclusive to XGP Ultimate and PC Game Pass, with many of them eventually reaching the Standard-tier library following a six-month delay....

Summary Eternal Strandshas been in the works since 2020, with Yellow Brick officially revealing it in April 2024. The Unreal Engine 5-powered title stars Brynn, a magic “weaver” looking to reclaim her people’s homeland.Eternal Strandswas confirmed as a day-one Xbox Game Pass Ultimate titleback in October 2024, before it even had a release date. Three months later, Yellow Brick’s debut project made its way to Microsoft’s subscription service, launching at 11am ET on January 28....

The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdomhas taken the fan favorite franchise in a different direction in more ways than players expected. With Zelda taking the reins as the player character inEchoes of Wisdom, fans expected something different, but the treatment of the series’ longest running antagonist took some by surprise. Every great hero needs a good villain, and for Link, that role is most often filled by Ganon. Often taking the form of a big-like beast, Ganon is the embodiment of evil, and is sometimes resurrected into Ganondorf in order to take on a more fearsome form....

Summary TheAvatarfranchise is one of the most successful in cinematic history. James Cameron’s masterpieces have proven to be big hits both commercially and critically so far. That has led to people having high expectations for the third movie in this franchise,Avatar: Fire and Ash, which is set to release on June 23, 2025. The movie will continue from the 2022 sequel, which ended in a highly emotional and intense manner. With two movies already released, Cameron will have to delve into a plethora of backstory and lore....

Summary Isekai anime always tops the charts, with dozens of series releasing and introducing fans to new characters transported to new worlds where they either flourish or flounder. There is always a kingdom in peril, a demon lord that needs to be vanquished, or a world that needs saving. Often, the unsuspecting main protagonist is ill-equipped to combat the trials and tribulations of this new world, while other times, they are gifted with too much power that makes their quest a walk in the park....

Since the release of the firstFinal Fantasyin the late 1980s, the franchise has had a profound impact on the JRPG genre. Spanning over three decades and still going strong,Square Enix’s magnum opus continues to showcase its enduring legacy, inspiring a whole generation of video games. Final Fantasygames have been released on over a dozen video game consoles over the years. In modern times, mobile phones and the mobile gaming industry have begun to grow, and in the JRPG genre, the influence ofFinal Fantasyremains as strong as ever....

Summary If there’s one thing that JRPGs have become known for over the years, it’s cultivating a unique mix of different characters from all walks of life, as casts in this genre tend to be fairly diverse. While a majority of JRPGs feature a human of some kind as its lead, some games have featured protagonists that are a bit different, as several titles in the genre have stepped out in order to feature something more interesting....