Key Note Gaming

A new report suggests that Halo: Campaign Evolved had a fairly troubled development. According to Rebs Gaming , a popular Halo insider whose reporting journalists have corroborated in the past, the recent Halo remake underwent major changes during its development. Halo Studios works with a bevy of external teams and contractors, something that may have led to issues during Campaign Evolved's development. A studio known as Abstraction was recruited around 2023 to help modify the original game's work and make it compatible with a new engine and new features. Halo Studios opted to utilize Unreal Engine 5, which created issues since the original game was designed on a rather ancient engine known as Blam. Abstraction worked to gel the two together and make it so new elements like sprinting, four-player co-op, and more all felt organic in Campaign Evolved. The original levels and combat encounters weren't designed for these things, so not accounting for them could have created a...

Final Fantasy VII Revelation director Naoki Hamaguchi opened up on the game’s connection to the Advent Children film, saying that more than one of FF7’s spin-offs are going to tie into the game’s ending. In an interview with YouTuber Ashif’s Release Notes at Final Fantasy XIV Fan Festival Berlin 2026, Naoki revealed that he’s well aware of the fan theories surrounding the next game in the Remake trilogy, particularly where ties to other properties in the FF7 universe are concerned. He assured Ashif that he’s carefully considering all of these titles, specifically mentioning Dirge of Cerberus , Crisis Core, and of course, the Advent Children movie. "I see a great deal of that discussion. I've seen a lot of people discussing and speculating off the back of interviews with myself and with Kitase-san, 'Is the ending of this going to connect to Advent Children?'” he began. “But it's not a question. I don't want to sit here and say it connects to this, it connects...

Pokémon TCG's latest Mega Evolution expansion, Pitch Black , has been out for a few weeks now, and things are likely a lot better for those of us unwilling to pay an arm and a leg for shiny cardboard. Amazon has once again restocked Pitch Black Booster Bundles , and they're now down to just $34.95 if you lock in your order today. That's $5 under market price, and $5 less than they were listed for last week , and $15 less than they were the week before that! You can also pick up the Pitch Black Elite Trainer Box for $69.95 , which is also under its market price according to TCGplayer ($72.59). This is the best price going for the latest Mega Evolution set right now online, so I'd snap it up ASAP to ensure you don't miss out. If you're opting for the booster bundle, that includes six Pitch Black packs to open at $34.95, which works out at about $5.82 per pack. For those picking up their first ETB of the latest expansion, here's what's included for just und...

September 2026 may be an incredibly busy month for game releases , but it's an exciting one. Among the wide variety of games coming out is Silent Hill: Townfall , releasing on September 24. If you're excited to jump into this new installment of the iconic horror franchise, and you're planning to play on PC, Fanatical has an excellent little offer worth taking advantage of. Rather than paying the full $49.99 for the Standard Edition of Silent Hill: Townfall , Fanatical has knocked 25% off that price and dropped it down to $37.49. Similarly, the Deluxe Edition is also 25% off, with its price sitting at $44.99 instead of $59.99. Ahead of the game's release, this is a pretty sweet discount to take advantage of if you already know you want it in your PC library. It's also worth noting that both copies will be available as Steam codes. This preorder discount is certainly a highlight, but your early purchase also comes with a preorder bonus. This appears to be a Rusted s...

Like an above-ground swimming pool, Beast of Reincarnation is one of those things that feels like it should be great in theory, but leaves something to be desired once you actually spend some time in it. On a surface level, everything from the aesthetics and otherworldly apocalyptic setting to the battles against giant, diseased creatures has the makings of something really special. In practice though, this awesome collection of ideas only rarely approaches realizing that potential, as nearly every aspect proves to be quite shallow. Combat against both minion enemies and bosses alike is extremely one-note, the story succeeds much more at collecting tropes than evoking any kind of emotion, and there’s an overreliance on indistinguishable areas and enemies throughout the adventure. There’s still a decent action RPG in here somewhere, because when it occasionally does shine with a neat wrinkle in the story or a particularly cool fight sequence, it’s very easy to see how this could have be...

August has arrived, which means fans of video games have a whole new month's worth of PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch 2, and PC games to crack open and play. No matter what platform you prefer, you'll find something fun to play this month, whether it's a very different type of game from the makers of Pokémon with Beast of Reincarnation, or a fighting game like Marvel Tokon, or a strategy take on Star Wars with Zero Company. The Switch 2 is also getting a ton of big games previously released on other platforms this month. Read on to see release dates for all the biggest games and expansions coming out this month and beyond. Let's have a look. If you're the preordering type, you can click the links for the platform of your choice to see the game at Amazon (if available). August 2026 - Video Game Release Dates Anomaly President - August 3 - (PC) Beast of Reincarnation - August 4 - ( PS5 , Xbox , PC) Big Walk - August 4 - (PS5, Switch 2, PC) Final Fantasy XIV ...

A Rust player left paralyzed by cops in a swatting incident is now suing the police for $176 million. Back in April of this year, 23-year-old Tucson resident Axeel Melendez was shot in his leg and spine by two officers who stormed into his house via his bedroom window. The cops were responding to a false report of an active shooter in the building — despite Melendez previously warning their unit that he was being targeted by a potential swatter. Melendez will likely remain paralyzed from the waist down for the rest of his life, and is now seeking damages for his medical expenses and wage losses. Just two days before, Melendez had been hacked by another player of the survival game Rust, who accessed personal details on his computer and then demanded money not to release them publicly. Melendez didn't pay, and was then threatened with swatting — a practice where armed law enforcement is called to an address under false pretences. Concerned for his safety, Melendez called 911 to repo...