Nintendo sure are treating us to a cavalcade of double-subtitled games at the moment, though slapping Switch 2 Edition on the end of many of them is more descriptive than thematic. The latest addition to this long-winded club is Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition – Switch 2 Edition, taking the beloved JRPG and sprinkling it with a bit of high-def fairy dust and a few new features to warrant charging people more money for it.

Let’s get this out of the way: the Switch 2 Edition of Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition is the best that this game has ever looked. That’s even more evident if you’ve played your way through the Wii original, possibly with a detour to the New 3DS version on your way to the now six-year-old Definitive Edition on the original Switch. The strength of the game hasn’t always been the visuals, but here, with a draw distance that stretches away into the background, and some lovely crisp textures, this is now the best looking version of the game by a long way.

That’s tied to the 60fps refresh rate and an upscaled 4K resolution. The Definitive Edition was a much stronger performer than the earlier Switch entry Xenoblade Chronicles 2, but it still suffered from some dropped frames from its 30fps target and slowdown out in the open world areas. There’s still a small amount of that here, though its effect has been much lessened, and the new 60fps frame rate feels much, much smoother.

Definitive Edition was also quite a blurry-looking game on Switch, with resolutions below native output and coming out a couple years before temporal upscaling was added to the game engine for Xenoblade Chronicles 3. But this release has come in the wake of the Switch 2 version of Xenoblade Chronicles X, with the upscaling added to that game by Monolith Soft able to make the graphics feel smeary and unstable – something they haven’t even tried to fix with a patch, by the way. Thankfully, this Switch 2 upgrade comes across much better with much better image quality both docked and handheld.

Unlike the Xenoblade Chronicles X upgrade, there is more here than just a resolution bump, and comes with a bump in price from £4.19 to £8 as well. Perhaps the most obvious addition is the Ether Jet, a vehicle that allows you to whizz across Chronicles’ landscapes with ease. There’s a new quest to complete to unlock it, with a new character lurking at the Bionis’ Leg Refugee Camp who’ll give you the lowdown at Chapter 4. If you’re past this point, it’s an easy fast-travel hop back here, and the Ether Jet is well worth hopping on board, since it speeds up getting around Xenoblade Chronicles’ massive open areas.

The Nopon Engineer is hanging around just outside the refugee camp, up the rise on the way out, and they’ll give you the spiel about coming up with an excellent new method of transportation that they don’t have a power supply for. Guess who’s got to go fetch them one? That’s right, Shulk and co. have to venture back to Tephra Cave to procure some Ether Cylinders – I don’t know why it feels like Luke Skywalker having to go to Tashi Station to pick up some power converters, but that’s all I hear now in my brain.

Thanks to the wonder of fast travel, it’s not much of a time sink – just head for the Rear Entrance to Tephra Cave and then head back outside, rather than into the cave. This was also a great way to get a look at Colony 9 from way up on the mountainside, emphasising just how clear the upgraded visuals are in the Switch 2 version – it really does look stunning. There is a short battle to grab your cylinders, but if you’re above Level 15 it’s going to be an absolute walk in the park – or a brisk stroll in the Bionsis.

Once you’ve got the Ether Jet – ignoring its inventor’s muttering that it’s a total death trap – you also unlock the Nopon Grand Prix, which turns Xenoblade Chronicles into a kart racer, with a touch of Fast RMX/Kirby Air Ride about it. There’s Score Attack and Battle Race modes, both of which have a bunch of prizes available if you do well, including the brand new gear that’s mentioned in the Switch 2 edition’s blurb. Each character has their own racing stats, and it actually feels a lot more fully featured than I was expecting.

I’m not sure whether I like the look of the new gear, but there’s more to it than just its appearance. As you progress through the story, you’ll unlock more tracks too, which is a nice little addition of its own, and enough to keep you coming back. The only weird thing is how you access the Nopon Grand Prix, which is to head into the menu and press Y, a fact that isn’t obviously mentioned.

Monolith Soft have actually put some thought and effort into Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition – Switch 2 Edition. After the disappointment of Chronicles X Definitive Edition, this sets a good benchmark for the other two Xenoblade Chronicles upgrades as they arrive later this year. At £7.99 it feels like a reasonable asking price, and it’s now the best way to experience this JRPG classic.

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It took a while to get going, but the Nintendo Direct has started firing out some exciting new announcements, and for Switch-owning Final Fantasy fans, the appearance of Final Fantasy Resonance, an all-new HD-2D pixel-art entry in the series, should keep them very happy indeed.

Final Fantasy Resonance is launching on 22nd October for PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch and Switch 2, and PC.

Final Fantasy Resonance is set in the world of Lapis, a place beset by evildoers, that lies on the edge of annihilation. You play as Rain, a knight of Gransheld, who must travel across the world taking down monsters and badguys in turn-based combat. There’s some clear Octopath Traveller vibes going on, but this also leans more heavily on 3D areas and 2D sprites, to give it its own feel.

You can also call upon Visions – Final Fantasy stars from other games, including the iconic Cloud Strife – to help you in battle, unleashing powerful moves and abilities as you do. These seem to take the form of full CGI cutscenes, which might feel a bit odd, but I guess we’ll have to wait and see how it turns out.

Either way, you won’t have to wait all that long to get your hands on this one. It’s just four months away!

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A classic medieval hero gets a bold reimagining in A24’s The Death of Robin Hood. Written and directed by Michael Sarnoski (A Quiet Place: Day One), the film follows the legendary archer, played by Hugh Jackman, as he grapples with a lifetime of violence and regret. After his latest adventure leaves him gravely wounded, Robin Hood gains an unexpected chance at redemption under the care of the mysterious Sister Brigid (Jodie Comer).

Though Robin Hood has been adapted countless times for film and television, Sarnoski’s movie stands far apart from its predecessors. By reshaping familiar characters and placing them in a brutal, intense narrative, Sarnoski breathes new life into a centuries-old legend, making it feel more grounded, tragic, and riveting than ever before.

In an interview with Digital Trends, Sarnoski discussed depicting Robin Hood as a deeply flawed figure, working with Jackman and Jodie Comer, and using gut-wrenching violence to tell a gritty story about guilt, forgiveness, and redemption.

How The Death of Robin Hood reinvents iconic characters and stories

Sarnoski said he chose to explore Robin Hood’s demise after growing up on the character’s stories. Though he didn’t think audiences needed another Robin Hood adaptation, he found himself compelled to write the film he had in mind before making A Quiet Place: Day One. In the end, he found himself so moved and engaged by his screenplay that he knew he had to make it into a movie.

“I had always loved the death of Robin Hood legend,” said Sarnoski. “It comes from an old ballad that I was introduced to as a pretty young kid. And it always stuck with me as, “Wait, what?”  This is how the Robin Hood story ends. There’s something beautiful and poetic, yet really simple and human about it. So I knew it was always something I wanted to explore.”

However, rather than presenting Robin Hood as a youthful rebel fighting injustice, the film depicts him as an old, regretful outlaw haunted by his horrible past. Early on, it is established that the heroic stories about Robin stealing from bad people and giving to the meek were false. Robin is instead a ruthless, thrill-seeking outlaw who has no problem killing men, women, or children. With every life he took, he had to slay generations of family members seeking vengeance.

By the time the film begins, Robin Hood is a ferocious yet remorseful old man counting the days until he meets his end and pays off his countless “blood debts,” with Jackman capturing both the ferocity and humanity of his character. He makes Robin compelling even at his most horrific. But as Robin seizes the chance at a new life, Jackman delivers a poignant performance that lifts this tale of forgiveness and redemption even higher.

“[Jackman’s] put so much thought and effort into this character,” said Sarnoski. “When he first read the script, and I sat down with him, it was so clear that he was so moved by it and engaged in all [these] sort of ambiguities and the gray areas of this character, and he really wanted to unpack that…I’ve been very lucky in my career to work with some amazing actors, and he [is] no exception. We could not have made this movie without him.”

Jodie Comer provides the film’s beating heart

Meanwhile, Sister Brigid subverts another core character from Robin Hood lore: the prioress who betrayed and killed him by letting him bleed to death. Brigid is reimagined as a compassionate caretaker dedicated to protecting children and healing the wounded at her priory.

Sarnoski also revealed that he wrote Brigid’s character specifically for Comer, saying the latter “manages to carry so many layers in her performances where she can be profound and wise and feel like beyond her years, and then also where she can feel so sweet and almost childish and human.”

“It was this quiet, gentle, sweet character who has just like multitudes within her, and is really kind of carrying a lot,” Sarnoski added. “The Prioress needed someone like that to sort of stand in opposition to and [mirror] that Robin Hood character that was so intensely played by Hugh, and I can’t imagine a better pairing.”

While Robin and Brigid are polar opposites of their traditional counterparts, the tension between them remains crucial to the story. The revelation that Robin murdered Brigid’s husband creates a fresh, fascinating dynamic built on grief, guilt, and forgiveness, giving Robin’s last adventure new meaning and emotion.

The movie displays the true brutality of medieval life

Popular culture tends to romanticize the medieval era, presenting it as a simpler time filled with gorgeous castles, gallant knights, and thrilling adventures. However, The Death of Robin Hood shatters that fantasy by presenting the harsh reality people lived through during that time period.

Beginning with a peasant girl traveling through the loud, windy mountains, the movie sets a tone that is just as harsh and unforgiving as its protagonist. Even an ordinary conversation between her and Robin quickly turns into a life-or-death struggle, showing just how far people were willing to go just to stay alive back then.

Despite how graphic and violent The Death of Robin Hood is, the bloodshed isn’t glamorized. Sarnoski stated that he didn’t want to approach the violence more like a horror or war film than a Hollywood action or superhero film.

This isn’t some epic tale of armored knights battling on horseback with swords. Instead, ordinary people bash each other into the mud and rip their flesh apart, leaving them with wounds that linger long afterward.

Sarnoski makes us feel the pain of each slash, each burn, each arrow. He makes his audience sit with the agony long after the battle is over. This disturbing execution captures the brutal horror of Robin’s criminal lifestyle, making it far less appealing than the romanticized adventures many people know him from.

“It was supposed to be unpleasant and difficult because that’s what Robin and these other characters are grappling with for the rest of the movie,” Sarnoski explained. “The guilt and difficulty that violence has spread in their lives and this cycle of violence. So we really need to land it as like, “Hey, no, we’re saying Robin was not a hero, and this was a brutal world, and he lived a brutal, brutal life. Not a fun swashbuckling life.” 

Don’t go into this movie expecting a non-stop killing spree akin to John Wick or Sisu. The Death of Robin Hood is not a high-octane action film but rather a slow, thought-provoking character study that brutally and beautifully reimagines the story of Robin Hood.

What should audiences get from The Death of Robin Hood?

As the film’s title suggests, Robin Hood wasn’t going to be a happy, fairy tale ending. Sarnoski didn’t just deliver another dark take on a beloved folktale. He created a realistic, emotional drama that depicts humanity at its best and worst.

Hugh Jackman’s Robin Hood isn’t the hero many are familiar with, but that’s what makes this film so compelling. By transforming a noble outlaw into a flawed man pursuing peace and redemption, Sarnoski delivers one of the most unique, resonating, and insightful Robin Hood adaptations ever filmed.

“I hope audiences come in with an open mind, ready to see a version of Robin Hood that they never really expected they would see…And I hope people leave this [film] thinking about the stories they tell themselves and the stories they tell others and the stories they allow to be told to themselves and integrate it into their kind of souls,” said Sarnoski.

The Death of Robin Hood premieres in U.S. theaters on June 19.

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I was busy writing up something else, but still listening to the State of Play when something happened and i let out a little yelp. The classic “womp-womp” sound of K.I.T.T. from Knight Rider played through my headphones.

The game in question is Stuntman: Hollywood in which you can “Become Hollywood’s most sought-after stuntman. Perform explosive scenes inspired by blockbuster movies, defy danger, and drift your way to stardom.”

Along with K.I.T.T. the game also features the DeLorean from Back To The Future, Fast and the Furious’ orange Toyota Supra and Silver Nissan Skyline, Jason Statham’s car from Death Race and  Sonny Crockett’s iconic Ferrari in Miami Vice. The game is “Coming soon” with no release date.

It does, at least from this trailer, appear to be a single-player game, which is frustrating as I am getting big Motorstorm vibes from it.

Source: YouTube

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Once upon a time, Minesweeper was a deceptively simple logic puzzler you’d find bundled on many Windows PCs, but “deceptive simplicity” ain’t enough for today’s Maximum Gamer, whose brain has been honed through years of multiple browser tab usage to operate in 10450302 dimensions at once. And so I give you Minesweeper: Next-Gen.

It’s broadly the same process of trying to clear a board of hidden explosives, with numbers on cleared tiles indicating the number of bombs nearby. But these boards – they are decidedly eccentric.

As the Steam page summarises: “Boundaries can wrap or flip seamlessly; some tiles split into smaller components; certain regions of the map may map onto others, even forming recursive structures.” Rest assured, you will never feel such hatred for the inventors of tessellation (I think it was the Sumerians) as when playing Minesweeper: Next-Gen, which has a demo.

If all of the above suggests a game of dusty, self-cannibalising mathematics, Minesweeper: Next-Gen is actually rather personality-led. It’s a game within a game, featuring two mascot characters – a portly dinosaur, his face a mask of sorrow, and a quarrelsome duck who wears gloves and shoes. They lurk on the margins of each puzzle like chibi Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, their tense expressions at odds with the game’s lilting soundscape of boops and pops.

“These two mysterious little companions will accompany you along the way,” the Steam page continues. “Sometimes they offer helpful hints, and sometimes… not so much. Observant players might uncover fragments of their story – though it’s not particularly important, it does add a bit of charm.” I think “pathos” is the word they’re looking for. A duck who wears gloves and shoes is clearly a duck at war with his own nature, chafing at the capacities of duckdom.

The full game launches later this year, and will include an editor “where you can choose from 200+ distinctive geometric tessellations maps, customize tile colors with a brush tool, and combine countless rules to design your own levels”. You do not have to be a duck or a dinosaur to wield the editor effectively, but it can’t hurt. For something more fantastical and less tessellatory, try Dragonsweeper.

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Sony has confirmed that, as we all suspected, Cosmic Smash is being revived for PlayStation VR2.

Just for a quick bit of background, Cosmic Smash initially launched all the way back in 2001. On its release, the game tasked players with traversing a futuristic subway-style map, with each ‘stop’ on the line challenging them to clear blocks at the end of a long room within a certain amount of time. This was all done by using a ball and racquet, offering players an experience somewhere between Breakout and squash.

Now, 22 years later, the game is being brought back and reimagined for the PSVR2. This upcoming release is known as C-Smash VRS (the VRS stands for “VR” and “versus”) and is being developed by RapidEyeMovers along with VR veterans Wolf & Wood (which is known for VR games such as The Exorcist: Legion VR and Hotel R’n’R). You can see a brief trailer for C-Smash VRS below.

While there is currently no release date for C-Smash VRS, the developers are releasing a PS VR2 demo, which will be available from 23rd March. In a PlayStation blog about this upcoming release, game director Jörg Tittel stated this demo will include both online play and a solo training mode.

“I cannot wait to show you a virtual reality we could have only dreamed of until now,” Tittel shared, while also promising a full release date will be announced “soon”.

Meanwhile, if you are keen for more on the PSVR2, you can watch Ian’s unboxing video here (and his cat Tilly makes a showing as well).

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