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Mode

Mario Kart World updates Random online selection, but what fans really want is a classic mode

by admin June 26, 2025

Mario Kart World has received another update, which along with some general fixes also makes changes to courses selected in Random during an online VS Race.

While the update notes for Ver. 1.1.2, as it is known, simply state the Mario Kart World team has “adjusted courses selected in ‘Random’ when selecting next course in a wireless ‘VS Race'”, there is more to it than it may first appear.

Mario Kart World Is A TERRIFYING Influencer-Ridden Dystopian NIGHTMARE | Lore Deep Dive. Watch on YouTube

Prior to this update going live, if a player selected Randon during course selection while racing online, it would always result in a more traditional three lap race, rather than Mario Kart World’s community dubbed “intermission tracks”. These are the tracks that essentially run in one long and almost linear layout, and connect Mario Kart World’s, well, world.

Now, however, these intermission tracks have been added to the online Random fray, which means playing Mario Kart World in a more ‘traditional’ way with consistent three-lapped courses is not guaranteed.

Some online are rather unhappy with this development. “Nintendo has basically stepped in and said ‘no, you’re supposed to play this way’,” reads one comment on ResetEra. “They saw players clamoring for a more traditional online mode and did… the exact opposite of what they wanted.”

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“There’s gotta be a classic mode coming. They have to understand WHY everyone is choosing random right? …..right?” another comment on reddit adds.

“Nintendo has ‘KILLED’ Online Versus in Mario Kart World,” also reads a post on X.

so you just cant avoid intermission online now 🙃 and what’s worse is that they choose from the 3 tracks already available. this is so annoying i might not even play online anymore
byu/cucumberboba inmariokart

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You can check out the full Mario Kart World update notes, as shared by Nintendo, below:

General

Adjusted courses selected in “Random” when selecting next course in a wireless “VS Race.”

Fixed Issues

Made readjustments to fix an issue where rate fluctuations were sometimes displayed incorrectly in “Online Play” and “Knockout Tour.”
Fixed an issue where you sometimes can’t recover quickly after falling off the course in “Dino Dino Jungle”.
Fixed an issue where you continually hit the wall near the finish line of “Boo Cinema” when transformed into Bullet Bill.

If you are still on the fence about giving Mario Kart World a spin, be sure to check out Eurogamer’s review, where our Tom said how the game “offers neat twists on the classic Mario Kart formula”, calling it all “entertaining, snackable, fun”.

Or, if you are already familiar with the bones of Mario Kart World, but need a little hand to get a bit more out of it (like unlocking that infamous Mirror Mode, for example), you can check out our guides. Here is one on the Dash Food locations in Mario Kart World to get you started.

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June 26, 2025 0 comments

Game Reviews

Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2 gets firm PS5 release date, and a 60fps mode at last

by admin June 26, 2025

The Enhanced edition of Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2 now has a release date across PS5 and existing platforms.

As revealed in May, the Hellblade sequel will arrive on PS5 this summer. That’s now confirmed to be 12th August.

This Enhanced version will be available as a free update on the same day across Xbox Series X/S and PC (Windows, Steam).

Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2 Enhanced – Release Date TrailerWatch on YouTube

This version of the game will finally include a Performance Mode, optimised for 60 fps. On its original release, the game only ran at 30fps.

Other new features include: a return of the Dark Rot permadeath mode from Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice, which sees the Dark Rot growing each time Senua fails; an expanded toolset for the Photo Mode; and behind the scenes developer commentary.

As previously reported, the PS5 version will include haptic feedback using Sony’s DualSense controllers.

This Enhanced version of Hellblade 2 will arrive in two editions. The Standard Edition, available at £49.99, includes the base game with these new Enhanced features.

The Deluxe Edition, priced at £69.99, will additionally include previous game Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice optimised for PS5, as well as the soundtrack.

Those who bought Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice on PS4 on its original release will be able to upgrade to the PS5 version for free.

Further details can be found on Xbox Wire.

“Hellblade 2 continues Senua’s story with grace, confidence, surprising brutality and thundering conviction,” reads our Eurogamer Senua’s Saga review.

It was the most-nominated game at this year’s BAFTA Game Awards, and won the award for Technical Achievement.

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June 26, 2025 0 comments

Game Updates

Assassin’s Creed Shadows’ latest update brings in a nightmare difficulty mode and another weird collab

by admin June 25, 2025

Another month, another Assassin’s Creed Shadows update, again one that comes with a list of quality of life changes, but also one that comes with another surprising collaboration. Let’s start with that one, which is, weirdly, a new story pack made in collaboration with Critical Role, the wildly popular actual play series. For some context, Critical Role did an official Assassin’s Creed themed oneshot a little while back. In said oneshot, Hi-Fi Rush’s Robbie Daymond played a character called Rufino, who’s being added into the game through this new mission in update 1.0.6.

“Rufino, an old friend of Tomiko and Heiji, calls in a life debt after uncovering a deadly conspiracy,” Ubisoft explains. “While working as a translator, he discovered evidence that a secretive organization has been hiring assassins to eliminate influential commoners. Now, he turns to Naoe and Yasuke for help in stopping these killers.” Completing this quest nets you Rufino as a new ally, and you’ll get the Critical Role logo as a banner.

Right, now the regular update stuff. A new nightmare difficult setting is now available with this update, which does a few different things. Defensive options are less effective in this mode, and you need to pull off perfect parries for them to deflect the hit fully. Enemy AI is “smarter, faster, and more aggressive in a variety of circumstances, including detection.” And combat resources are harder to find too.

For those of you oddly desperate to wear your headgear during cutscenes, that’ll be an option now too, and there’s toggles for specific types of VFX that you can turn off and on as well. The regional alert system available in castles has been expanded to the whole province on top of that, meaning that when you repeatedly attack “Civilians or Military units outside Castles, the alarm can be triggered, and a group of Guardians will hunt you in the world.” There’s also three different camera presets when on a horse, for your riding pleasure.

Lastly, for us here in PC land, there’s an Ultra Low visual quality level – you can read about the exact specs that’s catered to over on the post about the update, alongside the list of fixes and tweaks that you mostly don’t need to worry about.

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June 25, 2025 0 comments

Game Updates

Battlefield 6 rumoured to get a battle royale mode as leaker finds footage of an exploding dam

by admin June 22, 2025

Some raw footage has leaked of a cinematic moment in Battlefield 6 (or Battlefield Now, or Battlefield Big War, or whatever Electronic Arts are planning to call their next western military interventionism sim). The video sees the player escaping from a collapsing dam at the last minute as bomber jets launch a payload at the big concrete waterstopper. The footage is silent, but you can insert the manly yells of “Go! Go! Go!” easily enough yourself. Perhaps more interestingly, the same leaker also provides evidence of a battle royale mode.

The footage was posted on social media by data miner “temporyal”, who has been going through the files of the Battlefield Labs playtest client, uncovering various details. It’s a very early block-out of what may become a more detailed escapade during a campaign mission, or perhaps the early workings of a trailer – who knows. Either way, there’s lots of greybox geometry, placeholder props, and unfinished animations. Kind of like watching theatre actors perform a rehearsal wearing their jogger bottoms, script in hand. But it does give you a sense of scale, and it’s a reminder that EA remain obsessed with big chunks of world infrastructure falling on top of people.

It’s not the only thing the leaker claims to have uncovered in their spelunk down the data mines. They’ve also posted images and blurbs which suggest there will be a battle royale mode. Battlefield V had a battle royale mode called “Firestorm” and Battlefield 2042 had a not-quite-battle-royale mode called “Hazard Zone”. I’m curious to see if they go trad royale with this one or add some sort of battlespice, if this mode does materialise.

There are also lore tidbits that could mean maps set in New York and Turkmenistan. As for the campaign, the miner is convinced we’ll see missions taking place in various countries “including Egypt, Tajikistan, the USA, and Gibraltar”.

But of course, all this comes deep from the guts of the game’s current playtesting client. There’s no guarantee such things will surface in the finished game. Bits of lore and other narrative text can be easily misinterpreted, and none of it is officially confirmed by EA, who have yet to reveal more details about the game. They are planning to show off a no doubt explodey trailer with more information sometime this summer, according to EA comms director Andy McNamara.

This isn’t the first leak of footage from the shooter. Following a call for playtesters early this year, some nine minutes of multiplayer footage showing the series’ long-running conquest mode were leaked from those playtests. There are tanks and drones and medics, oh my.

It is looking traditionally shooty so far. Battlefield 2042, the last game of the series, was not particularly well-received among fans of bigwar, many of whom complained that it was not fully polished on release, full of bugs and instabilities. In his review, our Ed called it “an FPS that doesn’t feel ready yet”. That’ll be why EA is going so hard on playtesting this one then.

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June 22, 2025 0 comments

Game Updates

How To Unlock Mirror Mode

by admin June 20, 2025

Playing in Mirror Mode is like racing on every Mario Kart course’s slightly weirder twin, and it’s back again in Mario Kart World. If you’ve already memorized every twist and turn of the game’s courses and are looking for an extra challenge, flipping their layouts via Mirror Mode might spice up your gameplay—it just takes a bit of extra, somewhat-confusing work to unlock.

Princess Peach’s Leading Role And More New Releases

How to unlock Mirror Mode

Screenshot: Nintendo / Kotaku / Amelia Zollner

To unlock Mirror Mode in Mario Kart World, you’ll need to do all the Knockout Tour rallies and Grand Prix cups at 150cc. If you’re like me and initially did everything at 100cc because you were intimidated by all the new courses, it’ll be a little annoying to go through all of them again right away. Luckily, you don’t need to win or even place in these races—if you’re not up for the challenge, even just standing still in the Knockout Tour rallies so you get eliminated in the first round works! (Just make sure to check for the tiny green checkmarks below the 150cc buttons to confirm you’ve done every cup and rally).

Activating Mirror Mode isn’t without some mystery, however. Players are also theorizing that you need to meet some requirements in Free Roam. I had these covered already when I unlocked Mirror Mode, but we’re not positive if they really make a difference yet. These requirements include:

10 P Switches
10 ? Panels
10 Peach Medallions

Once you’ve met these requirements, head back to the Grand Prix menu and do the Special Cup (you also don’t need to win or place here). If you’ve succeeded, after the usual credits roll, you’ll get to see a charming little cutscene and a popup that lets you know you’ve unlocked Mirror Mode. After that, head to VS mode—you’ll now find Mirror Mode listed under the Class setting alongside its new 50, 100, and 150cc pals.

Screenshot: Nintendo / Kotaku / Amelia Zollner

If Mirror Mode somehow doesn’t unlock after you complete these tasks, check to make sure that you’ve really done all the cups and rallies in 150cc. After that, if you still don’t unlock it through the Special Cup, we’d recommend just driving around in free roam to scrounge around for coins and rack up some extra distance before trying the Special Cup again—it’s possible that these might also factor into Mirror Mode.

How to unlock Mirror Mode in Free Roam

Mirror Mode is a VS classic, but Mario Kart World lets Free Roam fans in on the fun, too. If you want to flip your Free Roam map, you’ll need to first have unlocked the regular Mirror Mode through the steps above. After that, head to Peach Stadium in Free Roam. Begin driving along the course from the start and climb the usual floating platforms, but once you’re high enough, jump off the course down onto the castle’s large red roof (reminder that you can rewind if you miss!). From there, you’ll want to find the castle’s tower and then drive straight into the Peach stained glass a-la Mario 64. You’ll get another little cutscene, and then the entire world will be flipped!

Screenshot: Nintendo / Kotaku / Amelia Zollner

Once you’re done with Mirror Mode, just drive back into the same stained glass to restore the world to its original layout. Happy racing! (Or should I say gnicar yppaH?)

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June 20, 2025 0 comments

Game Reviews

Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time is, unexpectedly, getting an open-world roguelike mode

by admin June 20, 2025

Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time – the sequel to developer Level 5’s 2012 Nintendo DS life sim and RPG thing – is getting a bunch of free DLC, which we already knew. What we weren’t previously aware of, however, is that its DLC will include an open-world roguelike mode.

It’s not entirely clear why a relatively laidback, job-focused life sim RPG would want to get in on the roguelike action, but that’s what Level 5 is going for. As detailed in its announcement blog, the update – which is currently “actively underway” – will feature an “evolved version of Ginormosia, including a system blending roguelike and open-world elements”.

Level 5’s announcement stops short of explaining how the new mode will actually work, but it does say the update will include “engaging content for both experienced players and newcomers alike.” Additionally, the update promises “powerful new gear”, plus “stylish equipment, mounts, and a variety of unusual items.” A telephone made of butts immediately springs to mind, but I suspect I’m likely to be disappointed.

Fantasy Life i – features trailer.Watch on YouTube

And we’re not quite done yet. Fantasy Life i’s free DLC update will also include a brand-new character who’ll “leave a significant mark on the world”, plus new hairstyles and new emotes to “make it even more enjoyable for players to express themselves in-game”. As for when all this will show up, Level 5 says “as soon as possible”.

“Level 5 appreciates everyone’s continued support and remains committed to continuously refining Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time,” it concludes in its announcement post, “as well as expanding content to provide the best possible gaming experience.”

Why all this free DLC? That’ll be down to Fantasy Life i’s impressive sales, with the game having already shifted 1m copies since its release at the end of May. Level 5 is also celebrating the milestone with a “commemorative gift code” that’ll unlock an “exclusive piece of equipment”, plus a “commemorative Pegasus mount” – although its post profusely apologises for mistakenly giving players on certain platforms a unicorn instead. That error should now be fixed, alas.

And if you’d like to bump that sales number up to 1m and one, Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time is available now on Steam, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 5, Switch, and Switch 2.

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June 20, 2025 0 comments

Game Updates

As if 14 jobs wasn’t enough work, Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time is getting an open world roguelike mode

by admin June 19, 2025

You would think that being able to take on 14 different jobs would be enough to keep most people busy in Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time, but to Level-5 it seems like that won’t be enough. Last month, the developer announced that because the RPG has done so well, they’ll be releasing a free update/ bit of DLC called Update the World, and they’ve now offered a couple of details as to what that’ll be.

Apparently, it’ll be a “roguelike open world” mode, which mostly just sounds like a bit of an awkward translation, but the post detailing the mode did explain it a touch at least: “The update will feature an evolved version of Ginormosia, including a system blending roguelike and open-world elements that offers engaging content for both experienced players and newcomers alike.” So, kind of what it says on the tin honestly. No details were shared as to how the mode will work, but there will be some new gear, equipment, mounts, hairstyles, emotes, and “unusual items”.

A bit of character art featuring an evil, wizardy looking big dog creature with a mysterious set of cases attached to their back was also shown off. This new character will arrive with the update, and “plays a pivotal role in the story and is set to leave a significant mark on the world.” Kind of love Level-5 just dropping a PNG of some guy almost completely contextlessly.

The team is apparently “actively working” on all this new stuff, but there’s no release date in sight for it just yet. Considering how big that game is though, I’m sure you’ve got more than enough to be getting on with in the meantime.

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June 19, 2025 0 comments

Google's Search Live icon and search icon against a dark background.

Gaming Gear

I’m Talking Back to Google’s New Search Live Mode for AI Convos About Big Events

by admin June 19, 2025

Google’s latest AI addition makes Google searches conversational on your phone with Search Live — and I love being able to interrupt it.

While Google’s AI Mode search has been available to a broad number of users in recent days, the company rolled out the Search Live function on June 18 for iOS and Android users. You can access it through a new “Live” icon in AI Mode — a star above three audio lines. This creates an ongoing conversation with Google’s search engine that’s significantly different than what you could do before.

Before, I could use Google’s AI mode and the microphone function to ask any question, like “How can I protect my home from the summer heat?” and get a customized summary of what Gemini thinks is good advice. But it was a one-way street — I couldn’t ask follow-up questions or for more details. Search Live changes that.

Search Live puts you in a constant conversation mode with a customized version of Gemini that’s made to chat. Ask something, and it will reply with an audio description while showing sites on the screen that it’s pulling info from, so you can tap them to get all the details. My favorite part is that you can interrupt the audio report at any time for clarification or a different take. Search Live takes a couple of seconds to respond — once it has, it will go on mute if you don’t speak again when it’s finished.

Search Live was more than happy to give details on current events, but I had to narrow it down to avoid getting too much too fast.

Tyler Lacoma/CNET

In my experiments, I pushed Search Live hard by asking for the latest details of the Israel-Iran conflict. I was quickly presented with an enormous amount of spoken info about the latest missile strikes. I found that overwhelming, and quickly asked for the latest response from Israel, which yielded a more concise summary of quotes and actions.

Then I asked what the take of one specific politician was, and Search Live responded not only with a summary of their general stance but also with recent bipartisan legislation they had launched and a quote about the conflict from one of their recent tweets.

Finally, I asked how the Israel-Iran conflict could affect mortgage rates. Gemini was pretty vague on that part, saying the issues were complex. CNET’s expert finance coverage on this front goes into much more detail.

Liza Ma, Google’s director of product management for search, told me she uses the feature to inquire about outdoor activities.

“I’m a big fan of hiking, and Search Live is perfect for getting quick tips when I’m about to hit the trail,” Ma said, “I can find out what to expect when it comes to plants and wildlife, or the best places to stop and enjoy the view.”

As with the other features in Google’s experimental AI Mode, CNET will be testing out Search Live more in the coming days to see how well it works and how it integrates with other Gemini-related search capabilities, like letting you digitally try on clothes with a voice command.

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June 19, 2025 0 comments

Gaming Gear

Minecraft now has a photo mode with Vibrant Memories

by admin June 18, 2025

Photo modes are a pretty common feature for video games where players go bounding around an interesting open world. Today, Minecraft joined their ranks, making an in-game camera available in the Minecraft Marketplace as a free add-on called Vibrant Memories. The feature requires a copy of Minecraft’s Bedrock Edition on any platform; the Java version doesn’t appear to support the camera.

As well as capturing the moment as-is and saving particular camera angles to reuse later, Vibrant Memories will let a player decide whether or not to appear in the image. It will also let them set whether the weather is sunny or rainy and if the time is sunrise, sunset, day or night.

That’s a pared-back take on photo mode, but then in many ways, Minecraft is a pared-back game. Sure, it’s gotten loads of new features and creatures over the past 15 years, but at heart, it’s just about mining and crafting.

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June 18, 2025 0 comments

Game Reviews

Lego Fortnite Expeditions is a mission-based PvE mode where you’re up against an evil mask maker

by admin June 18, 2025

Lego Fortnite Expeditions’ existence isn’t much of a mystery given all the teasing Epic’s been giving it on social media recently, but the teasing has now made way for a full reveal. And what is it? Expeditions, it turns out, is a mission-based PvE mode where players join forces to thwart the nefarious plans of an evil mask maker. As for the when, it’s out this week.

Those wishing to embark on an Expeditions adventure will be enrolled in the Supernova Academy, where they’ll hang out with other players, chat with members of the faculty (including founder Vengeance Jones), and take on co-op missions pitting them against Mask Maker Daigo’s minions – which include sentient crystals, demon guards, and formidable Titans.

These missions whisk players (and as many as three friends) to key locations around the world map, including Utopia City, Spire Excavation Site, and Busted Bridge, with more – such as Demon’s Domain, where Daigo resides – coming after launch. As for what you’ll be doing out in the field, there’s talk of rescuing civilians, setting up comm relays, and deploying field generators, all while fending off waves of enemies – and if players can find moment to explore amid the chaos, they might uncover useful resources, currency, gear, and more.

LEGO Fortnite Expeditions – Super Gameplay TrailerWatch on YouTube

To aid in their adventures, players can switch between three distinct classes at will, each with their own XP-based skills trees. Shadow Caller, for instance, can summon projectiles that heal or deal damage; The Hunter is all about inflicting massive damage to a single target, while Rift Rippers can use their rift abilities against either single or multiple foes. Players can also randomly acquire gadgets and weapons – including Plasma Pistols, Dual Daggers, and the War Hammer – by spending Essence found during missions back at the academy.

As missions are completed, they’ll contribute to global goals known as Team Projects, and Epic also mentions Academy Assignments, additional objectives players can pick up from faculty members and tackle during their downtime.

Lego Fortnite Expeditions comes to all versions of Fortnite on 18th June, and can be accessed via the Battle Bus in either Odyssey or Brick Life modes. Additionally, Expeditions monsters will begin infiltrating Odyssey in July (hero classes will follow, according to Epic), and players can start crafting Expeditions weapons in preparation soon.

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June 18, 2025 0 comments