If you’re around my age, you remember back when gaming wasn’t indie or triple-A; it was just games. Things changed a lot for console players when Xbox Live Arcade appeared, and suddenly a whole host of new games started to creep into mainstream gaming. The early games in that program were a little janky, kind of cute, often cheaper, and just fun to play. It’s not often that you get that exact same feeling in 2026, and yet Bounty Brawl: Most Wanted manages that.

That’s both a good and bad thing, in my opinion. It’s good in that it’s a game that’s immensely easy to pick up and play, you’ll understand it straight away, and you can muck around with your mates. You have to go to different planets to hunt down bosses, and each level gives different modifiers, with them getting more intense as your run goes on, but you get stronger by getting upgrades. A lot of these are kind of run-of-the-mill, like move and attack speed, but each character has different unique buffs too.

The characters do all feel meaningfully different too, although they don’t tend to be complex. The main thing is that you can dodge, you can lasso (I’ll get to that), you have a basic attack, and you have a special attack. You can also dance, which is always good. Basic attacks range from things like charging up a big melee swing to shooting at something, and special attacks can have unique properties, like making claws swirl around you, or being chargeable if you have a special resource. Each character also has different weapons you can unlock, but they really don’t change much.

The lasso is pegged as being one of the big features, and while you do use it a lot, it also feels a little bit too limited. You use it to interact with the various stage hazards, like pulling up lightning rods or trying to stop trains to act as cover for you, and you can use it to deal damage to enemies if you can stun them, but that’s sort of it. There is movement with it, but it’s only in specific places, so it’s just a bit underwhelming.

I’m not really trying to complain about Bounty Brawl, because it is a fun time with friends, although it does also feel bad solo. It’s one of those games which feels like a time capsule to 20 years ago, and that brings me a bit of internal joy, but I also don’t know that that’s enough for how good games are now. There’s fun to be had here, and I think it’s likely a massive amount of fun with younger gamers in split screen, where I do think this game would shine, but otherwise, it’s fun, but not for long. If you don’t mind that, then grab it and enjoy the sheer nonsense of it all, find your favourite character, and summon some worms to help aid you in battle.

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inXile’s long-awaited Clockwork Revolution got a fresh new trailer, weaving a bit of story about a heist gone wrong before supernatural timey-wimey stuff kicks off.

Now set for a 2027 release, Microsoft has confirmed that this game will be an Xbox console exclusive, signifying a change in their cross-platform strategy, similar to the newly Xbox exclusive Gears of War E-Day.

The trailer blurb reads:

Change the past. Control the future.

When your gang’s heist goes sideways, you’re thrown back in time and discover your reality has been altered by the ruthless Lady Ironwood. In this first-person steampunk RPG, you’ll wield a powerful device to travel between past and present, rewriting the future of the city you call home—and changing the course of history however you see fit.

The game looks to have some of the tone and feel of BioShock Infinite, though it’s perhaps more deliberately off-kilter with its characters and scenarios that you’ll face.. There’s a somewhat dystopian looking clockwork world that you get to tear apart through the use of some crazy time travel shenanigans. You’ll be able to change the past, leading to a thoroughly different present. It all looks pretty great, if you ask me.

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Following on from the announcement that Gears of War: E-Day and Clockwork Revolution will be Xbox console exclusive, Xbox execs have made some clarifying statements about what this means going forward.

Speaking with Gamertag Radio Xbox Chief Content Officer Matt Booty explained that this is not a hard and fast rule, but much more nuanced.

“We know that exclusives are important, that’s why we’ve got Gears [of War: E-Day] coming in 2026, Clockwork [Revolution] in 2027.” Booty said, but also noted that “If we’ve promised something to players already, we are going to honour that promise.,” Booty stated, adding exclusivity will be determined on a case-by-case basis.

This follows up the statement on Xbox Wire that, “As part of our focus on the return of XBOX, we also announced that Gears of War: E-Day and Clockwork Revolution will be XBOX console exclusives. These are not timed exclusives. Games already announced for multiplatform releases will stick to that plan – we’re committed to investing in and growing XBOX both on console and beyond.”

We can break this down into three buckets:

• Live service and multiplayer-first games will all be coming to PS5 in addition to Xbox and PC.
• Any game already announced and confirmed for PlayStation 5 will still be coming to PS5.
• Everything else will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

Got that? Let’s look at some examples.

Call of Duty will obviously never now be an exclusive – and it’s not clear how this statement relates to Activision anyway – given that it’s heavily multiplayer focussed and has long-standing promises about multi-platform availability.

Halo: Campaign Evolved and Fable were previously announced for PS5, and so they will still come to PlayStation. For the future of Halo, Microsoft will need to decide if it’s a live service or multiplayer-first series, but there’s now precedent for a remake or remaster to then not have a cross-platform sequel – Gears Reloaded and E-Day.

State of Decay 3, which is heavily co-op and online similar to a Grounded 2 makes sense to be cross-platform, but then Senua, which is a single-player action-adventure game would surely have been a prime candidate to be Xbox exclusive. But maybe that gets an exclusion because the first game launched first for PlayStation 4?

And, look, The Elder Scrolls VI will be on PlayStation because they want it to sell bucket loads after the middling reception to Starfield, but now there’s a seed of doubt about it, isn’t there?

In general, I think I’m in favour of Microsoft going back to having exclusives. It does feel odd having Halo and Gears on PlayStation, but there do need to be good reasons for people to stay with Xbox as a platform (or PC) for it to remain viable. So this is a good move for the platform as a whole, but let’s not pretend that it isn’t just like in 2023 when the former executive team struggled to explain what the plan really was.

Source: Xbox, Gamertag Radio via VGC

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Square Enix has announced that the full Kingdom Hearts saga so far is being upgraded and ported to PS5, Xbox Series X|S and Nintendo Switch 2, launching on 8th October 2026.

As part of this, the KINGDOM HEARTS Collection [I~III] will be sold as an all-in-one bundle for people that want the whole lot,  but you can also buy each chapter separately. That’s KINGDOM HEARTS -HD 1.5+2.5 ReMIX-, KINGDOM HEARTS HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue and KINGDOM HEARTS III + Re Mind (DLC).

I know I’m not the first one to say this, but the way these remastered collections have been named over the years is beyond ridiculous.

The big news for Switch 2 buyers is that these will now be running natively on the console, where the Switch 1 releases were all ‘Cloud ver.’ and played remotely. That was Goofy at the time and it’s still pretty quackers, if you ask Donald me. A demo of Kingdom Hearts 3 is available today for Switch 2 featuring the start of the game through to Olympus (with save data that can carry across to the full game), and then jumping ahead to Toy Box World (where save data will not carry over)

Upgrade pricing is also available, with a 50% discount on digital purchases from last gen to Switch 2, PS5 and Xbox Series X|S. Switch 1 to Switch 2 will also be able to transfer save data, but this is a mysteriously absent feature on Xbox and PlayStation. I see no good reason why it shouldn’t be possible, given that there’s countless other games that have a save transfer between generations.

Square Enix also released a new teaser trailer for Kingdom Hearts IV, confirming that it will now also be coming to Switch 2.

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Moon Studios has announced that their Soulslike action RPG No Rest for the Wicked will exit Early Access and get a 1.0 launch in October, across PC and PS5. Xbox and Switch 2 versions of the game will follow at a later date.

The 1.0 release will, as you would hope and expect, be a major expansion of the game, and promises to add over 60 hours of new content, a new horde mode, new weapons, bosses and enemies, new areas and a revamped class system.

Here’s the breakdown from Moon Studios:

• Sprawling New Areas: Explore the full game’s 15+ hand-crafted regions filled with secrets, terrifying bosses, and intricate pathways.
• Increased Gameplay Flexibility and Deep Progression: An all-new class and progression system allows players to fine-tune their Cerim warrior to their exact style. Two players using the exact same weapon will play nothing alike.
• Persistent Multiplayer: Players can share their journey in free private realms where the world evolves even when the realm’s original creator is offline.
• Final Story Arc: Politics. Revenge. Passion. The ending players have been theorizing about since 2024, including tons of hand crafted cinematic scenes will be part of 1.0 and it is worth every hour players have put into the Sacra.
• Endgame Content & Replayability: Players will test their skills in challenging new endgame activities designed for the most dedicated warriors.
• Crossplay & Cross-save: Full Crossplay and Cross-Save between PC and Console at launch.

Following its stint in Early Access, Moon Studios will offer existing players before 10th July on PC – it’s currently 30% off at $40 and will rise to $60 in time for launch – and those who pre-order in general on PS5, a bundle of extras, as follows:

• A New Secret Hideout: Spirit Cavern – The legacy of Moon Studios now lives inside No Rest for the Wicked, exclusively for Founders. A hand-crafted home that bridges both worlds.
• Sayer’s Vow: An all new Sword in the stone reserved just for the founders that only early adopters can extract in the game world.
• A Custom Founders Tag ensures players are clearly identified as early adopters.
• As a Founder member, players will get access to an exclusive Public Beta Test Realm reserved just for them, even after the 1.0 game launch.

The game is an ambitious one for Moon Studios, who took over game publishing after Private Division was folded last year. Since then they’ve added online co-op with persistent realms, adapted enemy AI to handle this, overhauled items and enchantments, and more.

Source: press release

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Microsoft has listed another set of titles due to leave Xbox Game Pass in the near future – and there are several high profile departures.

The excellent survival horror Alien Isolation and the top-rated Dragon Ball FighterZ are among the crop set to depart on 28th February.

Square Enix role-players Final Fantasy 13: Lightning Returns and Octopath Traveler are also getting the chop.

Stylish top-down roguelike Crown Trick and moody naval puzzle adventure Far: Changing Tides are also set to depart.

Finally, both the Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S versions of Madden NFL 21 will also be sent off the field.

If you fancy trying any of the above before their departure, you now have just under a fortnight to do so. As a final reminder, another set of Game Pass titles will leave the subscription service tomorrow, 16th February, including Alan Wake developer Remedy’s CrossfireX campaign.

But it’s not all bad news. In case you missed it, February’s first batch of new additions has already been detailed, and it includes Atomic Heart, Mount & Blade 2: Bannerlord, Shadow Warrior and Cities Skylines, among others.

Yesterday, Microsoft sought to explain its own admission Xbox Game Pass lowers base game sales.

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Microsoft has issued a statement in response to its own admission that titles entering Xbox Game Pass sell fewer copies in the 12 months following their addition to the service.

Yesterday, GamesIndustry.biz highlighted a line from the UK Competition and Markets Authority’s provisional report on Microsoft’s attempted Activision Blizzard takeover, published last week, in which Microsoft stated that a title’s inclusion in Game Pass resulted in a subsequent decline in base game sales.

“Microsoft… submitted that its internal analysis shows a [redacted] percent decline in base game sales 12 months following their addition on Game Pass,” the CMA stated.

The claim appears to contradict a previous statement by Xbox boss Phil Spencer back in 2018, where he said that titles like Forza Horizon 4 coming to Game Pass lead to increased sales of the game – not fewer.

Here’s that previous quote in full:

“When you put a game like Forza Horizon 4 on Game Pass, you instantly have more players of the game, which is actually leading to more sales of the game,” Spencer said in 2018. “You say, ‘Well isn’t everyone just going to subscribe for $10 and go play this thing?’ But no, gamers find things to play based on what everybody else is playing.”

Spencer does not appear to be talking about in-game sales here, or overall revenue from a title – which could certainly be boosted by its inclusion in Game Pass and its exposure to a wider audience.

Eurogamer contacted Microsoft for an explanation of its admission, and asked if circumstances had changed.

“Xbox Game Pass offers gamers and game creators more choice and opportunity in how they discover, experience, and deliver games,” an Xbox spokesperson told Eurogamer in response today. “For gamers, that means providing another option for them to discover games and play with friends at a great value. For developers, that means creating another option for how they monetise their games.

“We’re focused on helping game creators of all sizes maximise the total financial value they receive through Game Pass. Each game is unique, so we work closely with creators to build a custom program to reflect what they need, ensure they are compensated financially for their participation in the service, and allow room for creativity and innovation. As a result, the number of developers interested in working with Game Pass continues to grow.”

Microsoft does not dispute its claim to the CMA that Xbox Game Pass leads to fewer sales of a game, but says its subscription remains an attractive option for developers seeking to release their game within it.

Perhaps it should not be surprising that a game sells fewer copies when included in a subscription many millions of people have ownership of already. And this is much less an issue for games which have already launched, and are included in Game Pass some time later.

But it raises interesting questions of the games Microsoft launches within Game Pass on day one, such as its own first-party title slate.

Microsoft’s ongoing bid to get its Activision Blizzard deal agreed to by anti-competition agencies around the world has seen the company make several revealing statements.

In October, Microsoft admitted PlayStation’s userbase was “signficantly larger” than Xbox even if every Call of Duty player ditched Sony. A month later, Microsoft said “many” PlayStation exclusives were “better quality” than those on Xbox.

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If you’re yearning for sunnier climes as the winter drags on, Ubisoft might just have the answer, offering digital tourists on PC and consoles a limited-time trip to the fictional Caribbean island of Yara as part of its Far Cry 6 free trial this weekend.

From this Thursday 16th February to Monday 20th February, players on Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and PC can slap on the sun cream, step into the boots of Far Cry 6 protagonist Dani Rojas, and embark on an gun-toting open-world adventure to help overthrow Yara’s charismatic dictator Antón Castillo.

You’ll get access to a big old chunk of Far Cry 6 over the duration of the event – including the base game, and its crossover missions inspired by Rambo: All the Blood and Stranger Things – and Ubisoft is enabling co-op for anyone wanting to team up with pals. Additionally, players that participate in co-op will receive the in-game White Lotus Sniper Rifle.

That – along with any progress made over the duration of the free weekend – will carry over to the full game should you decide to make a purchase when the event concludes. Is it worth a punt? Eurogamer’s Ian Higton found Far Cry 6 to be a solid if unadventurous instalment in the series when he reviewed it back in 2021, so perhaps that’ll be enough for you.

To sweeten the deal Ubisoft is offering significant discounts of between 50% and 70% percent for a “limited time”, depending which of Far Cry 6’s many different versions you opt for.

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