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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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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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Xbox’s Handhelds: ROG Xbox Ally & Xbox Ally X Set for October 16, 2025 Launch

At Gamescom 2025, Xbox and ASUS finally released more information regarding the curtain back on the ROG Xbox Ally and the upgraded Xbox Ally X. Both handhelds will launch on October 16, 2025. The reveal gave us a closer look at Windows 11 and the UI that will be responsible for getting gamers access to the game on the device. Spec-wise, the ROG Xbox Ally is running on AMD’s Ryzen Z2 A processor with integrated RDNA 3.5 graphics. It has 16 GB of LPDDR5 RAM, a 512 GB PCIe Gen4 SSD that can be swap...
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We’ve Played Capcom’s Pragmata, Onimusha, and Resident Evil Requiem

Last week, Capcom invited me out to New York City to go hands-on with three of its most anticipated upcoming titles: Pragmata, Onimusha: Way of the Sword, and Resident Evil Requiem. For someone like me, that meant clearing the schedule, hopping on a train, and diving straight into a day packed with previews of games I’ve been eager to experience for years. It wasn’t just about sitting down and playing early builds—it was about getting a sense of how these games are shaping up ahead of their 2026...
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PlayStation 5 Price Increase Announced for the U.S.

Sony has announced that starting on August 21, the price of all PlayStation 5 consoles in the U.S. will go up. Like so many other global companies dealing with today’s economy, Sony says this decision wasn’t an easy one, but it had to be made. Here’s what the new pricing looks like: This is an extra $50 to the price of the consoles. Now, you can argue that it’s just $50, but considering that this is on a console that was released in 2020. We’re paying more for older hardware when it should be th...
The Outerhaven •

One More Level Unveils Valor Mortis, a First-Person Soulslike, at Gamescom 2025

Soulslikes have made a huge impact on the gaming world, and I’ve spent years diving into them. So when One More Level, the team behind Ghostrunner, announced their new project, Valor Mortis, at Gamescom 2025, I immediately got excited. This isn’t just another entry in the genre; it’s taking a bold step forward by putting the entire experience in first-person perspective. That alone makes Valor Mortis stand out. Soulslikes rely on precision, timing, and spacing, and shifting that into a first-per...
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Extended Gameplay Trailer for Wild Blue Shows Why Star Fox Fans Should Be Excited

Back in March 2025, we reported on Wild Blue and were already excited about what Chuhai Labs was working on. Now that it’s finally been revealed at the Future Games Show during Gamescom 2025, that excitement feels justified. We got to see Bowie Stray and the Blue Bombers gear up, hop into their Cloudcutters, and dive straight into battle. Not long after, Chuhai Labs dropped an extended trailer that packed in even more high-octane gameplay. At its core, this is a love letter to those classic on-...
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Spectator Mode Podcast Episode 198 – Exclusivity, Marvel Conspiracies, and IGN Shakeups

Welcome back to Spectator Mode Podcast! In episode 198, we kick things off by catching up on what we’ve been playing and watching before jumping headfirst into the big topics. First up, is exclusivity still important when it comes to consoles, or is that old news? Then we shift gears into a Marvel Rivals conspiracy that’s just as strange as it sounds. From there, we break down the news about the head of IGN stepping down, what that could mean for the site, and the ripple effect of mass layoffs i...
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