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Game Reviews

New PS5 Model Ditches The Shiny Black Plastic Fans Hated

by admin September 30, 2025

Good morning. Welcome to a new week. Will it be better than last week? I really hope so! Anyway, today’s Morning Checkpoint, Kotaku’s daily round-up of interesting news and stuff you might care about, features a new and less shiny PS5, Silent Hill f sales data, Borderlands 4 DLC news, a content creator retiring, and a cool Daft Punk video.

New PS5 Model Ditches All That Shiny Black Plastic

A new model of the PlayStation 5 has leaked online ahead of an official announcement from Sony, and while it’s not a massive update to the current iteration of the console, it does include one tweak that seems to be making a lot of people happy: The new PS5 doesn’t include shiny black plastic. As reported by Zuby_Tech, new photos and information about the refreshed PS5 show that it features matte black plastic, saving you from having to cover your PS5 in nasty fingerprints every time you dare to move or touch it.

Other changes found in this new, updated PS5 console include different-colored USB ports, a smaller SSD, and a new heatsink. The console is also overall a bit lighter now, likely thanks to more stamped metal parts inside. No word on when to expect this new console to hit shelves, but I’d bet it won’t be long, as we are getting close to the holiday season.

Silent Hill f Outselling Silent Hill 2 remake

『SILENT HILL f』

全世界累計出荷本数※が100万本を突破しました。
プレイいただいた皆さまありがとうございます。

■ゲームはこちら: https://t.co/msZNoMHzVg

※2025年9月26日時点当社調べ
※パッケージ版出荷数とダウンロード版販売数の合計#SILENTHILL #サイレントヒル pic.twitter.com/P6jl93zhGW

— SILENT HILL (@silenthill_jp) September 29, 2025

People really like Silent Hill f, Konami’s first original mainline entry in the long-running horror series in over a decade. So I’m not shocked to see it selling so well. According to Konami, Silent Hill f sold a million copies in around 24 hours. In a press release announcing the news, the publisher also confirmed that Silent Hill f was selling faster than last year’s Silent Hill 2 remake. This is good news for Silent Hill fans who have spent the past decade putting up with a lot of bad news, garbage, and disappointment. Hopefully, this new era of Silent Hill isn’t short-lived.

GOG Adds More Classic Games To Its Preservation Program

Classic PC gaming store Good Old Games, aka GOG, announced recently that over half a dozen more titles were being added to its ongoing preservation program. Launched in 2024, the GOG Preservation Program is the store’s long-term plan to keep certain classic PC games playable, updated, and accessible. It’s a great idea and one which, if GOG sticks to it, could be extremely helpful for games that no longer have official publisher or developer support.

Here’s the latest list of games added to the program, many of which are currently on sale to celebrate the news:

– Gothic 1
– Gothic 2
– Necronomicon: The Dawning of Darkness
– Mortal Kombat Trilogy
– Freespace 2
– XIII Century Gold Edition
– Stranglehold

**Gearbox Reveals Borderlands 4‘s First DLC Character**

Over the weekend during Tokyo Game Show, Gearbox and 2K Games revealed the first playable DLC character coming to Borderlands 4: C4SH, a gambling robot cowboy built around luck and chance. Fan account Borderlands 4 Bulletin shared more information about the new Vault Hunter on social media directly from the Gearbox TGS panel. The studio says that C4SH will have 3 action skills just like the other playable characters and that the character’s skills are “distinctly unpredictable, as they all involve an element of chance.”

C4SH will be available in Q1 2026 for all players on all platforms who own the Super Deluxe Edition of Borderlands 4, buy the Vault Hunter Pack DLC, or who purchase the game’s first Story Pack when it’s available.

Skyrim Grandma Shirley Curry Retiring (Again)

As reported by PC Gamer, Shirley Curry, better known online as the famous Skyrim Grandma, is retiring from content creation. The nearly 90-year-old gamer, who will appear in Elder Scrolls 6 when that finally launches, confirmed the news in a new VLOG uploaded to her YouTube channel. She explained that she’s just “bored” with playing Skyrim again and isn’t having a great experience on YouTube anymore, as many of the comments she got were just, according to her, younger kids shouting about how much they loved their video game grandma. She says she wanted more feedback and interesting conversations.

“That’s why I’m just going to stop uploading anything to do with Skyrim,” said Curry. “I’m tired, I’m not having fun anymore, probably because of all the little kids on there. I think that’s about all I have to say.”

Curry will keep making VLOGS and blogging, but her days with Skyrim are over. Probably. It was just a year ago that Curry actually announced similar plans to retire from Elder Scrolls content, but then came back and even made a video of herself playing the Oblivion Remaster. But based on how she sounds in this new VLOG, I get the feeling she really is done with Skyrim.

ICYMI:

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September 30, 2025 0 comments

Game Reviews

Top Terror Teemo has been revealed for 2XKO, and he looks like the most disgusting zoner I’ve seen in years

by admin September 30, 2025

Riot Games has released a gameplay trailer for Teemo, the 10th character coming to 2XKO. This trailer, which introduces the infamous Yordle Scout to the fighting game genre, presents him with a cute and jubilant aesthetic as well as an absolutely rancid moveset.

For those who don’t know, Teemo is a beloved League of Legends champion that was part of that game’s base roster all the way back in 2009. Known for his blow pipe and frustrating shenanigans, he’s been recreated in 2XKO with a lot of his trademark moves and more.

As you can see below, Teemo is coming with a new stage alongside the game’s Early Access launch on the 7th October. This stage in the release schedule for 2XKO will also mark the introduction of the game’s first season as well as the final content reset for the game, meaning anything earned is yours forever.

Check out the 2XKO Teemo trailer here!Watch on YouTube

This trailer shows a fighting game character designed by maniacs. Teemo has various projectiles, a brush you can teleport to, poison and flame effects, mushrooms he can throw out that stick on the screen and provide him ample cover. He can also delay his fall speed to bait out anti-air attacks from his opponent.

One of Teemo’s supers brings out a giant mushroom that bounces whimsily towards his opponent and while being projectile invulnerable, which is nasty work. Oh and he can turn himself invisible too for a short period of time, which is really just the cherry on top of a nightmarish monster of a character.

If all of this sounds negative you’re forgiven for thinking so, but the truth is that this is exactly what Teemo should be like when brought over to a fighting game. To live up to his character in League of Legends where he was first let loose on the world, he needs to strike that balance between cute and utterly infuriating. Anyways, it probably won’t be that hard to play against… Just block, bud.

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September 30, 2025 0 comments

Game Reviews

New Battlefield 6 Trailer Is A Direct Attack Against Call Of Duty

by admin September 30, 2025

A new live-action trailer for Electronic Arts’ upcoming Battlefield 6 features a group of celebrities, including Zac Efron, getting swiftly blown up by a missile in what seems to be a dig at Call of Duty‘s many commercials featuring actors, musicians, and other famous people. It’s the latest example of the two military shooter franchises reacting to one another in a way we’ve not seen in years.

On September 28, EA released the “Battlefield 6: Official Launch Live-Action Trailer.” And like many live-action Call of Duty ads from the last decade, the BF6 commercial starts off with a group of celebs cosplaying as soldiers and getting ready to fight. But just 24 seconds into the new trailer, a missile flies into frame and blows up all four stars in a large, fiery explosion. A group of soldiers then walks through the area, with one asking, “Who was that?” and the other bluntly replying that it “doesn’t matter” before telling everyone to move out.

While the new ad doesn’t directly mention Call of Duty, it’s obvious what EA is doing here. For many, many years, Call of Duty games have used celebrities like Will Arnett, Jonah Hill, Michael B. Jordan, Cara Delevingne, and many others in various live-action trailers. As recently as 2021, Call of Duty featured numerous celebs in a Warzone ad that was heavily criticized by fans for going too far and feeling too silly. This new BF6 trailer feels like a direct nod to those celeb-heavy launch ads and a commitment from EA that it won’t follow in CoD’s footsteps, a move that fans in the comments of the trailer seem to greatly appreciate.

Over the years, longtime CoD players have lamented the franchise’s shift away from grounded combat and realism as bizarre crossover skins and over-the-top future tech have become more prevalent in recent entries. This has all come to a head in 2025 as Battlefield 6, which had a massively popular open beta earlier this year, has gone the opposite direction and doubled down on being a gritty, grounded, and realistic military shooter. Activision has responded by making changes to skins, rolling back plans to let all Black Ops 6 skins move forward into Black Ops 7, and even letting devs talk publicly about the series turning down some collaboration cosmetic deals.

It’s very, very unlikely that Battlefield 6 will outsell Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 this year. But it seems like EA’s FPS might take a bigger bite out of the rival shooter series than it has in previous years, and Activision is definitely paying attention. The news that EA is being bought up by Saudi Arabia’s PIF as well as other investors, including Jared Kushner’s investment firm, has certainly added an awkwardness to BF6‘s rollout, though.

Battlefield 6 will launch on October 10 for PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC. EA won’t talk about a Switch 2 port. Black Ops 7 launches on consoles and PC in November. It also isn’t going to be available on Switch 2.

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September 30, 2025 0 comments

Game Reviews

EA Boss Thanks Employees For Making $55 Billion Private Equity Sale Possible

by admin September 30, 2025

The $55 billion sale of Electronic Arts to Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund and a group of other private equity investors is a big deal. Some people are going to make a lot of money off it. Others may lose their jobs when the interest bill for the debt-financed portion of the leveraged buyout comes due. CEO Andrew Wilson, who will remain in charge of the Madden and Battlefield publisher even after the sale closes, is thanking his employees.

“This moment is a recognition of your creativity, your innovation, and your passion. You have built some of the world’s most iconic IP, created stories that have inspired global communities, and helped shape culture through interactive experiences,” he wrote in a companywide email to staff after the deal was announced on Monday, a copy of which was obtained by Kotaku. “Everything we have achieved–and everything that lies ahead–is because of you.”

EA stockholders, which would include Wilson, will receive $210 per share. The executive was granted $31 million in cash and stock awards for the company’s last fiscal year, up $5 million from the year prior, even as the company laid off rank-and-file employees and hit sales snags in EA Sports FC, Apex Legends, and Dragon Age: The Veilguard. The 25 percent premium on the company’s mid-August share price comes with a catch, however. A whopping $20 billion of the buyout comes from debt, the interest on which could exceed hundreds of millions of dollars annually, or the budget of multiple AAA blockbusters per year.

“We are entering a new era of opportunity,” Wilson wrote in his email to staff today. “This is one of the largest and most significant investments ever made in the entertainment industry. Our new partners bring deep experience across sports, gaming, and entertainment. They are committed with conviction to EA–they believe in our people, our leadership, and the long-term vision we are now building together.”

He continued,

Our mission at EA to—Inspire The World To Play—continues to guide everything we do. Our values and our commitment to players and fans around the world remain unchanged. With continued rigor and operational excellence, we can amplify the creativity of our teams, accelerate innovation, and pursue transformative opportunities that position EA to lead the future of entertainment. Together, we’ll create experiences that are bold, expressive, and deeply connected to inspire generations of players around the world.

I am excited to continue as CEO, working alongside our leadership team to advance our strategy. United by our vision, we will deliver experiences that transcend platforms and empower players everywhere to create worlds, characters, and stories that are bold, interactive, and deeply connected.

Thank you for your creativity, your commitment, and the passion you bring to EA every day. This is a historic moment, and with the support of our new partners, the future we are building together is brighter than ever.

EA instituted a return-to-office policy earlier this year which would require anyone living within 30 miles of an EA office to come in at least three days a week, while others not designated as remote would need to relocate. At the time, Wilson said the goal was to ignite the “kinetic energy that fuels creativity,” but some employees saw it as a way to incentivize more “voluntary” layoffs.

Alongside the likelihood of layoffs are questions about Saudi Arabia’s human rights record and the new ownership’s potential impact on creative freedom within the company and public messaging, including its annual Pride events across its various franchises, most notably The Sims. Wilson told staff EA’s “values” will remain unchanged, but didn’t lay out specifically what they are. The sale is set to close in mid-2026 pending shareholder and regulatory reviews.

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September 30, 2025 0 comments

Game Reviews

Silent Hill f is selling faster than the Silent Hill 2 Remake so far

by admin September 30, 2025

Silent Hill is doing good business for Konami at the moment. The just-released Silent Hill f is off to an even stronger start, sales wise, than the widely acclaimed Silent Hill 2 Remake released last year.

Konami announced today that worldwide shipments of Silent Hill f have passed 1m units – a figure that includes shipments of packaged versions of the game and downloaded versions sold. That figure was recorded by Konami on 26th September, a day after the game’s release (25th September).

『SILENT HILL f』

全世界累計出荷本数※が100万本を突破しました。
プレイいただいた皆さまありがとうございます。

■ゲームはこちら: https://t.co/msZNoMHzVg

※2025年9月26日時点当社調べ
※パッケージ版出荷数とダウンロード版販売数の合計#SILENTHILL #サイレントヒル pic.twitter.com/P6jl93zhGW

— SILENT HILL (@silenthill_jp) September 29, 2025

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Konami announced a similar milestone for the Silent Hill 2 Remake three days after the game’s October 2024 release. The remake went on to pass the 2m sales mark in January this year, and Konami announced in May that Silent Hill, as a franchise, had passed the 10m sales mark.

These sales figures aren’t massive but are encouraging nonetheless. And together with the quality of the recent Silent Hill games – Silent Hill f received a hearty four-stars in our review, and the Silent Hill 2 Remake received five stars in our review – they combine to create something of a renaissance effect for the iconic horror series. Which, in more plain terms, I expect means “there’s more to come”.

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September 30, 2025 0 comments

Game Reviews

Amazon Fire Max 11 Tablet Hits Lowest Price Yet Ahead of Prime Big Deal Days, Hundreds Cheaper Than an iPad

by admin September 30, 2025

We’d be telling you that this limited-time deal on the Amazon Fire Max 11 tablet is hot, or that it’s fire, or that it’s a scorcher, but honestly, would you still respect us in the morning? So we’ll dispense with the terrible puns and cut straight to the deal, because it’s one of the better ones we’ve seen in a while on this great, affordable tablet. It’s 32% off for a limited time, turning a very good $280 price into a great one at just $190.

To put things in perspective, the Amazon Fire Max 11 is an 11-inch tablet with an octa-core processor, 14-hour battery life, expandable storage of up to 1TB via microSD card, and 2.4 million pixel resolution. As an Amazon product it blends seamlessly with the rest of the Amazon ecosystem, including Prime Video, Kindle, Audible, and Luna, along with your smart home devices via either Alexa or the Device Dashboard. And here’s the kicker — at this sale price it’s over $700 less than the 11-inch M4 iPad Pro, and $375 less than the 11-inch M3 iPad Air.

See at Amazon

Premium Features, Not Price

There are probably metrics and benchmark tests that put those pricier iPads ahead of the Fire Max 11, but not nearly enough to quantify the price difference. The octa-core processor at the heard of the Fire Max 11 is certainly no slouch when it comes to streaming, multitasking, and gaming on Luna. The 128GB of storage is small, but so easily and inexpensively expandable thanks to the microSD card slot that the Apple tablets lack.

Wi-Fi 6 speeds, a robust 14-hour battery life, 8MP camera, and options to expand into a more laptop-like experience with the sold-separately Fire Max 11 Keyboard Case — which also happens to be way more affordable than Apple’s Magic Keyboard — all make the Fire Max 11 highly competitive even before you do a price comparison. Once you check out those numbers, this isn’t even a fair contest.

Beautifully Basic

When you look at the Fire Max 11 — and this is the latest, most updated iteration of the Fire Max — in the context of being a fully integrated part of the massive Amazon ecosystem, it’s a brilliant tablet, especially for just $190. It’s not going to compete with a laptop as a productivity machine, although this deal does come with a free 3-month Microsoft 365 trial, but as an e-reader, streaming device, smart-home control panel, and light gaming device, it’s an exceptional tablet.

This model of the Amazon Fire Max currently on sale for just $190 has the max 128GB storage and also comes with lockscreen ads deactivated. The $90 savings on this deal are great, and even greater when you tack them onto the hundreds you save by avoiding the super-bougie competitor tablets.

See at Amazon

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September 30, 2025 0 comments

Game Reviews

EA privately acquired in $55bn deal by group of investors, including Saudi Arabia’s investment fund and Donald Trump’s son-in-law

by admin September 30, 2025

EA has officially been acquired by a group of investors including Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund in a private transaction worth $55bn.

EA chairman and CEO Andrew Wilson will continue to lead the company – known for its sports games, BioWare’s RPGs, The Sims, and forthcoming shooter Battlefield 6 – with the transaction expected to be completed in Q1 FY27.

News of the acquisition came over the weekend, before an official announcement today. The investor group comprises the PIF, as well as investment firms Silver Lake, and Affinity Partners.

“Our creative and passionate teams at EA have delivered extraordinary experiences for hundreds of millions of fans, built some of the world’s most iconic IP, and created significant value for our business. This moment is a powerful recognition of their remarkable work,” said Wilson.

“Looking ahead, we will continue to push the boundaries of entertainment, sports, and technology, unlocking new opportunities. Together with our partners, we will create transformative experiences to inspire generations to come. I am more energised than ever about the future we are building.”

“Electronic Arts is an extraordinary company with a world-class management team and a bold vision for the future. I’ve admired their ability to create iconic, lasting experiences, and as someone who grew up playing their games – and now enjoys them with his kids – I couldn’t be more excited about what’s ahead,” said Jared Kushner, CEO of Affinity Partners. Kushner is US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law.

PIF increased its stake in EA in 2023; now its 9.9 percent stake will roll over. The organisation also holds stakes in a number of gaming companies including Nintendo, Take-Two Interactive, Embracer, Capcom, and more.

Ubisoft is another, with Assassin’s Creed Mirage set to receive a surprise free DLC set in 9th century AlUla, an ancient Arabian city. The DLC follows reported funding from PIF.

The PIF was designed to diversify Saudi Arabia’s revenue via investment in foreign companies. It’s chaired by Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the country’s controversial ruler blamed by the CIA for the assassination of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi, who has upheld the country’s notoriously poor human rights record.

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September 30, 2025 0 comments

Game Reviews

Cool Terminator Game Delayed Again Due To Trump’s Tariffs

by admin September 30, 2025

Terminator 2D: No Fate is an upcoming video game adaptation of the original ’90s action movie sequel that is designed to look, sound, and play like classic 2D games from that era. No Fate looks really awesome. But sadly, due to ongoing tariffs enacted by President Donald Trump, this cool-looking Terminator game has been delayed (again) from October to November.

On September 28, Terminator 2D: No Fate publisher Reef Entertainment and developer Bitmap Bureau announced that the upcoming side-scrolling action game was being delayed a second time until November 26. In a statement posted to the publisher’s official website, the company blamed the delay on “ongoing global trade and tariff changes” that caused shipping issues with components needed to produce the Day One and Collector’s Editions versions of the game. And because the studio and publisher want to ship the game to all platforms and users at the same time, No Fate’s release date was pushed back. This delay affects digital and physical copies worldwide.

“We truly appreciate your patience and understanding, and we’re sorry for this further delay,” said Reef Entertainment. “The team is working hard to make sure your wait is worth it, and we can’t wait to share Terminator 2D: No Fate with you all this November.”

This isn’t the first delay for Terminator 2D: No Fate. In July, the 2D action platformer based on James Cameron’s iconic action flick starring Arnold Schwarzenegger was delayed from its initial release date of September 5 to October 31, just in time for Halloween. But that’s not happening anymore, and you can directly blame Trump, who continues to screw around with tariffs haphazardly, causing global chaos for those trying to buy, ship, or import products or resources to the United States.

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September 30, 2025 0 comments

Game Reviews

Hyper Light Drifter studio’s next game is a cyberpunk metroidvania with Smash Bros-inspired combat, out next month

by admin September 29, 2025

Heart Machine, the studio behind sci-fi Zelda-like Hyper Light Drifter, has a new metroidvania out next month called Possessor(s).

Publisher Devolver released a new gameplay overview trailer over the weekend revealing its PS5 and PC release date of 11th November.

Possessor(s) is a metroidvania (or “search action” game, as the developers are describing it) set in a quarantined cyberpunk city, with players taking the role of high school student Luca who’s struck a deal with a demon.

POSSESSOR(S) Gameplay Overview | PS5 and PC on November 11Watch on YouTube

As with Hyper Light Drifter, the game is visually arresting, here a clean animated aesthetic as Luca explores a cityscape controlled by a corrupt energy megacorporation.

Combat, meanwhile, is inspired by Nintendo’s Smash Bros. fighting series. Luca will be able to juggle enemies with aerial attacks, with makeshift weapons ranging from a computer mouse, to a guitar and a pair of sunglasses.

It’s looking great, especially if it can live up to the exceptional quality of Hyper Light Drifter, though there’s stiff genre competition from Hollow Knight: Silksong at the moment.

Still, Heart Machine in January released a surprising miss with its roguelike Hyper Light Breaker that remains in early access, but has a Mixed rating on Steam. It’s still being regularly updated, though, with the studio acknowledging the “risk” of early access.

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September 29, 2025 0 comments

Game Reviews

The Best And Biggest PC Gaming Deals

by admin September 29, 2025

The leaves are turning orange and brown. Pumpkins and scarecrows are appearing on porches all around your town. It’s fall, the best season of the year. And as with every seasonal shift, fall brings with it a big ol’ limited-time Steam sale featuring hundreds and hundreds of discounted PC games.

On September 29, Valve kicked off the big Steam Fall Sale. There is precisely a metric shit-ton of games on sale on Steam from now through October 6, so you have a week to dig through everything and hopefully find a good deal on big games like Cyberpunk 2077, Doom Eternal, Diablo IV, and many, many more. To help you out, I’ve dug around for a bit and pulled out some of the biggest and best deals currently available on Steam.

Also, as a heads up: The LCD Steam Deck is currently 20 percent off on Steam, too. If you’ve been wanting to jump into PC gaming, this is a great way to do that, and many of the games listed below will run great on a Steam Deck.

Anyway, here’s my list of highlights, arranged alphabetically. And yay, the comments are back, so we can all help each other find good deals. If you spot anything not on this list that you think is worth buying or checking out that’s on sale right now, leave it in the comments below.

Assassin’s Creed Mirage – $15 ($50)
Assassin’s Creed Origins – $6 ($60)
Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora – $18 ($70)
Control Ultimate Edition – $4 ($40)
Cyberpunk 2077 – $21 ($60)
Dead Island 2 – $15 ($50)
Death Stranding – $20 ($40)
Desperados III – $4 ($40)
Diablo IV – $23 ($50)
Doom Eternal – $4 ($40)
Dying Light – $5 ($25)
Far Cry Primal – $4 ($30)
Forza Horizon 5 – $30 ($60)
Greedfall – $3 ($35)
High on Life – $10 ($40)
Hogwarts Legacy – $12 ($60)
Horizon Forbidden West – $36 ($60)
Left 4 Dead – $2 ($10)
Monster Train – $2 ($25)
Monster Train 2 – $20 ($25)
Monster Hunter Wilds – $49 ($70)
Persona 5 Royal – $21 ($60)
Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart – $30 ($60)
Ready or Not – $25 ($50)
Red Dead Redemption II – $15 ($60)
Resident Evil 4 remake – $20 ($40)
Resident Evil 7 – $8 ($20)
Resident Evil Village – $10 ($40)
Rise of the Tomb Raider – $3 ($30)
Rome: Total War Remastered – $8 ($30)
Sea of Thieves – $20 ($40)
Sniper Elite 5 – $5 ($50)
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – $8 ($40)
Two Point Campus – $3 ($30)
Warhammer 40k: Space Marine II – $30 ($60)

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September 29, 2025 0 comments