Editor’s note: Having only gotten our hands on the game and the new system extremely recently, this is — as you can see from the title — a review in progress. We just haven’t had enough time with it yet, but we wanted to share our initial impressions (seeing as we’re all playing it at once).
We’ll be updating the text over the coming days and will deliver a final verdict as soon as possible. Until then, enjoy our early takes, and head down to the comments to let us know how you’re liking (or maybe disliking!) the headline Switch 2 launch game.
Back in 2023, Nintendo held one of those Direct thingies it likes to do, and as it often does the Japanese version of the stream had some games the western one didn’t. In particular, there was one game that drew my attention: Stray Children. It caught my eye in part because it has a really unique pixel art look to it, but also because Yoshiro Kimura was its director, one of the original designers of cult-classic Moon: Remix RPG Adventure. And now, after a bit of a wait, developer Onion Games have confirmed it’s getting its English release later this year, and it’ll even be doing so on PC.
Probably one of the most appealing parts of an RPG is bonding with other characters, right? Building up your player character’s relationships with various companions, like in games like the Persona series for example. What I wouldn’t say is particularly common is you, the player, having a direct relationship with the character you’re playing as. This is where Downhill comes in, a fourth wall breaking action RPG whose main character knows you exist and controls them, all the while having to figure out a way to save the world.
Most of us here at Team NL, like many of you, have been unwrapping shiny new consoles today as Switch 2 arrives, finally. Nothing like the smell of new hardware in the morning, right?
Having said that, while we’ve been getting to grips with the new console, some of us have noticed an aroma. Not an unpleasant one, you understand, but a distinctly warm, electronic smell rising from the console’s top vent – as you might expect from a high-performance video gaming device being played for the first time.
Last year, CD Projekt Red released their final update for Cyberpunk 2077. Version 2.2 of the game added in fixes, a few more customisation options for you and your trusty steed (car), alongside some secrets. This version itself got patched with a few more fixes, but 2.2 was meant to be the last big one. Turns out, they lied! As in a stream held earlier today mostly to do with that new video game console that just came out with the kart driving plumber on it (more like Switch 2 another channel, am I right), CD Projekt Red shared that a 2.3 version is on the way to the open world game later this month.
Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles is set to release for PS5, PS4, Nintendo Switch, Switch 2, Xbox Series X|S, and PC on September 30. It’s a new take on the classic tactical RPG, which many gamers of a certain vintage consider an absolute masterpiece. This new version comes with the original game, plus an enhanced version that includes new content and features and is available to preorder now (see it at Amazon). We have all the details below, plus buy links and info about what comes in each edition.
The Collector’s Box sold out almost immediately after going on sale. It’s a Square Enix Store exclusive that does not contain the game, but has the following physical extras:
Ramza Beoulve figure (Akademy version)
Chocobo mini plush set
Pop-up art – “Outlying Church”
Special art box
Art sheet set
Zodiac stones acrylic magnet set
What Is Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles?
Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles is a tactical RPG that originally came out for PS1 in 1997. It takes place in Ivalice, the same setting as Final Fantasy XII and Vagrant Story. In it, the king has died, and his successor is only two years old. That means the regent will effectively be in charge of the land. Two dukes are gunning for the regent position: Goltanna the Black Lion and Larg the White Lion. Their battle is called the War of the Lions, and it acts as the backdrop for the game. You play as Ramza and Delita as you battle your way through all sorts of political turmoil.
The battles themselves are turn-based affairs that have you positioning your units on a grid-based battlefield as you duke it out against the enemy troops. One of the main selling points is the jobs system, which offers over 20 classes of characters for you to choose and customize. There’s a lot of strategy going on in this game.
This new version of the game includes the full original game, updated to look good on modern displays. That’s called the Classic Version. But it also has an enhanced version of the game, complete with a new user interface, improved graphics and voice acting, new difficulty levels, battle speeds, and a tactical view to get an overview of the battlefield. Sounds like a solid update to me.
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Chris Reed is a commerce editor and deals expert for IGN. He also runs IGN’s board game and LEGO coverage. You can follow him on Bluesky.
It is happening again. No Man’s Sky is getting another huge update filled with all sorts of new things to do, and because there’s so much, we’ll just jump straight into it. First of all, the space simulation game just lets you become a mayor of a town now. Or, I guess an Overseer as described in the patch notes (it says mayor in the trailer), a role that lets you look after four settlements by governing their inhabitants and investing in their infrastructure.
EA Play: EA Sports FC 25 Is Coming to Game Pass Ultimate with EA Play
Charlie FortescueDirector, Global Corporate Communications, EA
Summary
EA Sports FC 25 joins EA Play’s Play List and will be available on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Xbox PC and Xbox Cloud.
Play the world’s game with unlimited access and groundbreaking features like 5v5 Rush, Clubs, and enhanced FC IQ tactics.
Score a limited-time Supercharge Pack, plus recurring rewards like Draft Tokens, and seasonal Clubs Rewards.
From June 12, Game Pass Ultimate members can manage their club to victory with EA Play. EA Sports FC 25 will be available on The Play List, giving them unlimited access to the world’s game. Xbox Game Pass Ultimate members can enjoy more ways to play on Samsung devices. Players can stream EA Sports FC 25 directly to Samsung Smart TVs via Samsung Gaming Hub and the Xbox app – making it easier than ever to jump into the action.
As a member, you can experience more ways to win for the club with groundbreaking features like teaming up with friends in 5v5 Rush to play Ultimate Team, Clubs, and Kick-Off. In addition, FC IQ delivers greater strategic control and more realistic collective movement at the team level, while a new AI model, powered by real-world data, influences player tactics through all-new Player Roles.
EA Sports FC 25 features the best players from the biggest clubs and competitions around the globe, with match data from the world’s top leagues powering how 19,000+ players move, play, and win in every match.
Member Rewards
With EA Play, the rewards stack up fast, delivering benefits for your club like the limited-time Supercharge Pack (now through July 12), featuring 11x Rare Gold Players (82+), including one player with an 87+ OVR and one 93+ OVR TOTS Loan. You can also score recurring Rewards, including Draft Tokens and seasonal Clubs Rewards that let you shape the club to be truly yours. Plus, save 10% on EA digital purchases, including FC Points and more.
Membership for EA Play is included with Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass subscriptions at no extra cost.
Whether you’re scoring an unbelievable hat-trick in the EA Sports FC franchise, showing no mercy on suburban battlegrounds in theBattlefield series or timing a perfect hit to dominate the gridiron in the Madden NFL franchise, you can feel the thrill with EA for just $5.99 a month. Membership unlocks unlimited access to a collection of top titles, trials of select new games, in-game member rewards and more. Members also save 10% off EA digital purchases—including game downloads, points packs, and DLC.
For more details on all the EA Play member benefits this month, visit: EA Play Member Benefits. Conditions, limitations and exclusions apply. See EA Play Terms for details.
Fast Fusion is perhaps one of the best deals on Nintendo Switch 2 right now.
Priced at just £13.49 / €14.99 / $14.99, it rocks some serious chops with 4K/60fps support during docked mode, and a brand new fusion mechanic that will let you create dozens of unique vehicles.
Giant Squid’s upcoming title, Sword of the Sea, is a well-crafted union of all the titles the studio and Game Director Matt Nava have worked on. The aquatic wonder of Abzû, The Pathless’s sense of adventure, and Journey’s beautiful desert world. Sword of the Sea weaves those influences together so skillfully that it feels like this atmospheric surfing adventure was the goal all along.
I got a chance to go hands-on with Sword of the Sea and talk with Giant Squid about the new game, coming day one to PlayStation Plus Game Catalog on August 19.
Surfing across the sands and sea
The game begins as the player awakens as The Wraith, a vessel waiting to be filled, who is given the task of bringing the oceans back to the world. Appearing to be the last being left alive to get the job done, you receive a mystical surfboard and hit the dunes.
The starting area is a vast playground where you can get accustomed to the board, perform tricks, and learn how to interact with the world. As you zoom across the desert, you come across different nodes known as Ocean Seeds that allow you to cleanse the land and restore parts of the ocean and marine life.
Beyond pleasing aesthetics, water and sea life directly impact gameplay. The Wraith is significantly faster on water, leading to greater speed for bigger jumps and more tricks. Some sea life create new paths, like buoyant jellyfish that make great jump pads and long strands of climbable seaweed. Watching the landscape terraform was a highlight, as was searching for all the land’s secrets.
“Sword of the Sea is really all about the spiritual magic of surfing,” Nava explains. “ It’s inspired by my own experiences snowboarding, skateboarding, and surfing throughout my life. When you think of these extreme sports, the first thing that comes to mind is probably the high speed and the danger. But there’s more to it than just an adrenaline rush. When you are surfing on waves in the ocean, you are literally on the boundary between our world and the world beneath the waves, a world beyond our understanding.”
Golden triangles known as Tetra populate the world, acting as currency you can trade to mysterious vendors to learn more tricks, acquire skills, and open new paths. Want to see it all? You’ll have to detour off the main path to see and afford it all. Different vendors, triangles, and Trick Attack arenas are hidden throughout the world.
Show off your tricks and feel the terrain
Pulling off stylish moves in Sword of the Sea is straightforward. When surfing, once you jump you can press X again to perform a variety of double jump tricks. Once you acquire advanced tricks from the vendor, you hold L1 and press Triangle, Square, Circle, or X to do special grabs, flips, and spins. They score more points, and combining grabs and flips in different ways create new tricks. While the timing is a little trickier, you can give yourself a much-needed jump boost and score high-point combos when performed just right.
Sword of the Sea constantly keeps score of the tricks you pull and how advanced they are. Hidden Trick Attack arenas let you put those skills to good use. What does racking up a high Trick Score lead to? Yet another mystery we’ll have to wait to uncover.
Though the game takes place in the desert, there are plenty of different objects to grind on besides sea and sand. I came across ruins, ceramic tile roofs, and helpful aquatic life. The team at Giant Squid takes full advantage of the DualSense controller haptics to ensure every surface feels and sounds distinct. As I surfed along rooftops, I could hear the melodic tones of tiles underneath and the tingle in my fingers. The sand offers a coarse sensation, and you feel and hear the rushing water as you speed through on the makeshift highways parts of the ocean create.
“The haptic feedback of the DualSense controller reacts to each surface differently so you can feel it when you cross from one to the next,” says Nava. “Combined with special sound effects that play from the controller, it gives a very realistic sense of touching the surfaces you see in the game. We are very excited by the extra layer of detail the haptics adds to the experience of surfing in Sword of the Sea.”
You’re free to explore in any given direction, and hard-to-reach places usually reward you with something appropriate for the time and skill it takes to reach them. However, as you explore, you will discover murals and other environmental elements that keep the story ever-present. A tale of loss and destruction, and trying to find out how you fit into it all is an intriguing thread to follow. Especially since at the end of my session, it was clear that a mysterious character was following me. It appeared to be another wraith, but whoever the pursuer was didn’t give vibes of good intentions.
It’s easy to compare Sword of the Sea to its predecessors, but the game truly feels like an evolution of everything the Giant Squid team has worked on to this point. The game’s sights, sounds, and feel connected me with the land, and I can’t wait to hop on the board again and see what’s really out there.
“Our games have a really recognizable and unique art style, and tell atmospheric stories with their bold color and music,” says Nava. “We start with a feeling, an experience, and a message that we want the player to feel. Really, all our games are all about movement, and how it can connect you with nature and the world in different ways. Sword of the Sea builds on the ideas in all our previous games to create something that is both very Giant Squid and an exciting new adventure.”
